Improvement of corrosion resistance of gray cast iron components by surfacing with gas metal arc welding

The degradation of pump components by corrosion and complex damage mechanisms, e.g. erosion and cavitation leads to high costs through replacement and maintenance of parts. To increase the lifetime of cost-efficient components with superior casting properties, gray cast iron parts are surfaced with duplex stainless steel using an inert shielding gas metal arc welding process. The dilution of the surfacing increases with both increasing heat input and increasing thermal conductivity of the shielding gas. The microstructure is highly affected by the cooling conditions that may enhance diffusion processes and eventually lead to precipitation of deleterious carbides. Higher heat input and prolonged cooling duration during surfacing lead to high dilution and a pronounced carbide network and thus, substantially reduced corrosion resistance in artificial seawater. The corrosion of the surfacings in the potentiodynamic polarization test is driven by selective corrosion of the phase boundary between carbides and chromium-depleted austenite. Passive behavior is observed for coatings with low dilution and higher cooling rates, which showed homogeneous chromium distribution and no interconnected carbide networks. In conclusion, the corrosion behavior of gray cast iron was improved by surfacing with duplex stainless steel.