Effect of rare earth on microstructure and wear behaviour of Ni based microwave clad

Abstract

In the present investigation microwave energy has been utilized to develop wear resistant Ni-based clad without Nd2O3(unmodified coating) and with addition of Nd2O3 (modified coatings) in varying wt. % of 1-3. The clads have beendeveloped using domestic microwave oven at frequency of 2.45 GHz and power 900 W for duration of 360 s. Theunmodified and modified clads have been characterized in terms of microstructure, XRD, microhardness and two bodyabrasive wear. The average thickness of developed clads has been measured as 1.0 mm approximately. A two body abrasivewear behaviour of unmodified and modified coatings at sliding speed of 36 m/min & 72 m/min with abrasive grit size of 220& 600 has been investigated. The results revealed a better abrasive wear resistance at lower sliding speed and fine grit size.Further, the best results of microstructure, formation of hard phases, improved microhardness and wear resistance have beenshown by the samples having coating composition as 3 wt. % of Nd2O3.