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Improved Wear Resistance of AISI 304L by Cladding Boride Layers Using the GTAW Process

The austenitic stainless steel (SS) of AISI 304L is widely used in industrial applications because of its superior anti-corrosion resistance. However, the material suffers from a lower hardness, thus reducing wear resistance. In this study, AISI 304L was clad with tungsten boride (WB) ceramic powder using the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process to increase surface hardness and improve wear resistance. The microstructure of the cladding layer was investigated using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The hardness distribution of the cladding layer was measured using a micro-Vickers hardness tester. Wear tests were conducted with a pin-on-disc tribometer at the ambient condition, while simultaneously monitoring friction coefficient variation. Surface frictional temperature was recorded with K-type thermocouples during wear tests. The worn morphology of the tested specimens was observed by SEM to identify wear characteristics. The results show that WB cladding successfully increased the hardness and the wear resistance of AISI 304L. Keywords: GTAW, WB, wear resistance, microstructure