Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 34CrNiMo6 Steel Repaired by Friction Stir Processing.

Repairing damaged parts using proper repairing methods has become an important means to reduce manufacturing and operational costs and prolong the service life of 34CrNiMo6 steel structures. In the conventional fusion repairing method, welding wire and powder are often used as filling materials. Filling materials are often expensive or difficult to find. Some metallurgical issues (such as solidification crack, higher distortion) were also found with these methods. At the same time, most of the equipment that requires welding wire and powder is expensive. In this study, a new method based on friction stir processing (FSP) was successfully employed to repair 34CrNiMo6 steel, using a block as filling material. Filling blocks are much cheaper than conventional fusion repair consumables. As a result of solid-state repair, this method can also avoid the metallurgical issues of fusion repair. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the repaired samples were investigated using OM (Optical Microscope), SEM, EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy), XRD, and a Vickers hardness electronic universal tensile tester. The results showed that 34CrNiMo6 steel was successfully repaired by this method, with no defect. Tensile tests showed that the maximum ultimate strength (UTS) was 900 MPa and could reach 91.8% of that of the substrate. The fracture mode of the tensile samples was ductile/brittle mixed fracture. Hence, the repairing method based on FSP appears to be a promising method for repairing castings.

Microstructure and Tribological Properties of Laser Forming Repaired 34CrNiMo6 Steel.

Laser forming repair (LFR) technology has considerable potential in high strength steel structure repair. 34CrNiMo6 steel has been widely used in high-value components, and it is imperative to repair these damaged components. In this study, two different thicknesses of repaired layers are deposited on the 34CrNiMo6 wrought substrate with five layers and 20 layers via LFR technology. The microstructure, phases, microhardness, and tribological properties are analyzed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Vickers hardness testing, and dry sliding wear testing. These results show that the 34CrNiMo6 repaired layers were successfully deposited on the substrate. The microstructure of the laser-repaired layers in the five-layer sample included bainite and retained austenite. For the 20-layer sample, the microstructure in the top of the repaired layers was still bainite and retained austenite, whereas that in the bottom of the repaired layers was transformed into ferrite and cementite. The average coefficients of friction of repaired layers is not significantly different from the substrate. The wear rate of the five LFR layers, 20-layer LFR, and substrate samples were 12.89 × 10-6, 15 × 10-6, and 23.87 × 10-6 mm³/N·m, respectively. The laser forming repaired samples had better wear resistance compared to the substrate. The wear mechanism of laser forming repaired samples is abrasive wear; whereas that of the substrate is abrasive wear and fatigue wear.