Wear tests of low-cobalt alloys for hardfacing nuclear components

The wear and friction of commercially available low-cobalt hardfacing alloys were evaluated to assess their potential for use in nuclear applications. Hardfacing deposits were prepared by using the plasma transfer arc method. Wear tests were performed at three loads in room temperature water that simulated primary pressurized water reactor coolant chemistry conditions. Reference data were generated for cobalt-base hardfacings. Weight changes of the specimens were measured, which were converted to specific wear rates. At low to moderate loads some of the low-cobalt alloys showed specific wear rates about the same as that of the cobalt-case alloys. The superior wear resistance of the cobalt-base alloys was evident at the highest load