CHARACTERISATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SAND SHOVEL SURFACE BASED ON CLADDING THICKNESS OF THE NI/CO POWDER PLASMA LAYER.

In this article, mechanical performance testing of 45# carbon steel samples with Ni/Co alloy plasma cladding was conducted through a combination of experiments and numerical simulations. The thickness of the coating of the Ni and Co base has two types of working conditions: 1mm and 0.5mm thick. The differences of the mechanical properties under different cladding thickness of the samples were experimental tested by metallographic analysis, hardness testing, abrasion resistance testing and impact resistance, by which the samples preparation has been confirmed to be essentially qualified. Then, in order to examine the improvement effect of plasma cladding technology on the sand shovel mechanical properties, the two materials were used to simulate the sand collection process of straight blade and bent blade. By analyzing mechanical representation such as stress, strain and fatigue damage, it is found that with the cladding thickness and the shovel shape difference, the force performance of the shovel is relatively different. Therefore, these factors should be comprehensively considered when selecting an appropriate cladding thickness and shovel curve to enhance the performance of the sand shovel during the sand collection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]