Mechanical and tribology behavior of hard-faced inconel 718 on stainless steel 321

In this work, the Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding process is used for depositing the Inconel 718 over the base substrate of Stainless steel 321. The optimal welding conditions like 50% overlap, Direct Current (DC) plus mode with a pulse on time (1-5 s), frequency (0.25-1 Hz), peak current (120 A), base currents (60% of peak current), and speed (150-350 mm/min) are used for the successful hard-facing. The quality of the hard-facing is analyzed by conducting microstructural studies, tensile tests, microhardness, wear behavior, and electrochemical studies. Post-processing for wear and electrochemical studies is done by Scanning Electron Microscope SEM-EDX analysis. Microstructural studies revealed the presence of columnar dendrites and equiaxed at the top of the hard-faced layer. Hard-faced layer depicts the highest ultimate tensile strength of 772 N/mm(2) with an elongation of 31.50% due to the support of Nickel components. The presence of the voids and dimples is identified from the SEM fractography. The maximum hardness value of 212 HV0.5 is measured at the top of the hard face layer. The microhardness of the hard-faced layer increased by 17.77% higher than its base substrate. Because of the hard precipitates and higher microhardness made by the weld thermal cycle, the hard-face layer showed maximum Co-efficient of Friction (CoF) of 0.540. Debris and grooves are found with the SEM examination of the wear specimens. Higher impedance offers better corrosion resistance to the hard-faced layer Inconel 718. The EDX analysis confirms the presence of Chromium, Molybdenum, and Niobium contents at the hard-faced layer. These elements silently support better corrosion resistance compared to the base substrate of Stainless steel 321.