Effect of welding parameters on microstructure of Fe-based nanostructured weld overlay deposited through FCAW-S

Lately, modern hardfacing tubular wires for semiautomatic welding with gas protection and without it have been developed. These wires deposit Fe-based nanostructured alloys with high abrasive wear resistance. The information on these new consumables is scarce, especially about the effect that the welding parameters (heat input, shielding gas, arc voltage, current intensity, etc.) have on the deposit, its microstructure and, consequently, its wear behaviour. For this reason, in this article, we study the effect of heat input (voltage, intensity of current and welding velocity) on the properties of a flux-cored arc welding Fe-based nanostructured deposit obtained without gas protection. This study is a continuation of a previous one in which the same consumable was used under shielding gas. Bead on plate samples were welded using heat inputs between 0.5 and 3.5 k/mm. The dimensional study was performed on the beads, chemical composition was determined and the microstructure was analysed using optical and electronic microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Microhardness, crystallite size and dilution percentage were also measured. An important influence of the welding parameters on the bead geometry and the microstructure was observed. The operational behaviour of this wire, welded without shielding gas, was very good.