Chrome Carbide Overlay Vs. Cast White Iron...Which Is Best For Your Application?

Chrome Carbide Overlay Vs. Cast White Iron…Which Is Best For Your Application?

There are often questions regarding which material should be used in high stress grinding abrasion applications. Is it better to utilize Cast High Chrome White Iron, or Chrome Carbide Overlay (CCO) – and what are the differences?

This bulldozer blade has been lined with JADCO CHROMEWELD ™600. It has superior abrasion resistance, allowing materials to slide as intended with minimal wear, often lasting several years.

This Road Milling Drum Has Cast High Chrome

White Iron welded onto the standoffs protecting the picks from wear due to the concrete chips created by grinding the old pavement.

While the High Chrome White Iron pucks welded all over this bucket will protect against wear, it was not an efficient method. It required many days of welding, and reduced bucket capacity while adding weight.

Abrasion resistance guidelines published for materials used or Oil Sands production, are among the strictest metallurgical specification. The interesting comparison, is the higher alloy content required for Chrome Carbide Overlay (CCO). With a lower carbide specification for High Chrome White Iron.

The Key To Forming The Proper Hardfacing Chrome Carbide Structure, Is The Rapid Transition From Room Temp, To Arc Temp, To Solidification Temp In A Few Seconds.

The temperature of a welding arc typically ranges from approximately 6,000°F to 10,000°F (3,315°C to 5,537°C), rivaling the heat of the sun’s surface. However, the exact temperature varies significantly; depending on the type of welding process, the materials being welded, and the specific electrode and shielding gas used.

It Is Called Hardfacing For A Reason. If Anyone Could Do It, It Would Be Called Easyfacing.

By contrast, High Chrome White Iron is poured at a temperature between 3,000°F to 4,500°F (1,649°C to 2,482°C). The thicker castings cool relatively slow. This results in a less dense carbide formation, and lower G-65 values.

Looking For Technical Information Comparisons?

Chemistry content between the two are very similar. The CCO has higher Carbon content, about 5% maximum. The Cast High Chrome White Iron is limited to about 3.5% maximum, or it would become highly crack sensitive. The higher the Carbon and Chrome content, the greater the concentration of Chrome Carbides for wear resistance.

The CHROMEWELD ™600 was designed for use in hard rock mining, where you have cyclical loading with medium impact.

Chromium content is close to the same averaging 20% to 30%, yet the Carbide structure differs between the two materials.

Here is a photograph at 200 Microns, of CHROMEWELD ™600 showing the splinter shaped Chrome Carbide microstructure formed in our overlay. Notice how tightly packed the chrome carbides are throughout the overlay.

The 200-micron scale is shown for size reference. For comparison, one inch equals 25,400 microns.

Here is a microphotograph showing the High Chrome White Iron. You can see the difference in the carbide formation, where the carbides are smaller with larger gaps between the carbides. The inset photo shows the area in red at greater magnification.

There Are Practical Limits For Each

Usually if the allowable wear resistant layer is acceptable at 0.75” or less, Chrome Carbide Overlay will deliver greater wear resistance. If your application requires a thicker deposit of wear resistance, High Chrome White Iron may be a better option, for your application.

Making High Chrome White Iron castings with a higher Carbon content for greater hardness, will not tolerate any impact.

Repair Options

Using the proper welding alloys and procedures, CCO can be successfully repaired. Never weld hardfacing directly onto existing hardfacing. You need to apply a ‘cushion or butter’ layer between hardfacing layers.

High Chrome White Iron on the other hand, is considered unweldable due to the high Chrome and Carbon content. Repair welding is not recommended.

To Make Certain We Can Help With All Of Your Wear Needs, Check Out Our HARDGUARD ™ Line Of Cast High Chrome White Iron Products

Our entire CHROMEWELD ™ family of CCO products are made at our headquarters in Harmony, PA, located 30 minutes North of Pittsburgh.

JADCO Is The Largest Manufacturer of CCO In North America, Delivering Dependable Results

JADCO has created our own clad machines to make certain we deliver the longest lasting materials to our customers,. This gives us control over every aspect of making our industry leading CHROMEWELD overlay plate.

Never consider the CHROMEWELD™ family of Carbide hardfacing products as a “One Size Fits All” wear plate. Our customers look to us for continuous wear resistant improvement. They rely upon JADCO to create new products to address their specific wear challenges.

This improves your wear plate performance results further; it’s like having your own Research and Development for state-of-the-art wear resistant products. Each one has already been proven in real world applications, before you ever install them in your equipment.

JADCO Makes It Look Easy, But It Is Hardfacing

For the last 45 years, JADCO has focused exclusively on delivering consistent, longer life for our customers.

Now you understand why we deliver better results to our customers. By strictly focusing on improving your current results, we look at the wear process differently. This is why we deliver better performance results, and lower cost of ownership for our customers.

Allow us to help you today by emailing us at info@jadcomfg.com or calling (724) 452-5252.

We will schedule a meeting with one of our local wear plate specialists at a time that best fits your schedule.
Remember, the only thing you have to lose by not working with JADCO, are your profits.