# Process Optimization and Wear Performance of Plasma-Cladding Fe5 Coatings on Rotary Tillage Blades
## 1 Introduction
[PERSON] [17] employed plasma spray technology to deposit Ni-WC ceramic composite coatings on the surface of 30 MnB5 steel blades for rotary tilters. The results indicated that the hardness of the coating increased by 1.5 times, and the wear resistance was enhanced threefold. [PERSON] [22] investigated the modification effects of four different materials--TiAlN, CrN, PTFE, and Ni-PPTFE--on rotary tiller blades. The findings revealed that metallic coatings (TiAlN and CrN) exhibited higher flexural strength and hardness than polymeric coatings (PTFE-based coatings). [PERSON] [23] conducted an orthogonal optimization of plasma-cladding Fe/WC/CeO\({}_{2}\) metal-ceramic composite coatings and applied them to the surface of rotary tiller blades. The experimental results demonstrated that, compared with 65 Mn rotary tiller blades, the wear volume of Fe/WC/CeO\({}_{2}\)-claddedrotary filler blades was reduced by 71% and 65%, respectively. Furthermore, compared with Fe/WC-cladded rotary tiller blades, the wear volume of Fe/WC/CeO\({}_{2}\)-cladded rotary filler blades was reduced by 17% and 15%, respectively. In the aforementioned studies, the wear-resistant coatings prepared on the surfaces of rotary tiller blades or downshares using surface modification techniques have significantly enhanced the wear resistance of these components. However, most of these coatings have been tested under laboratory conditions and lack experimental validation under actual field wear conditions. Additionally, the pursuit of high-performance coatings often involves the addition of precious rare metals. Considering that China's reserves of many rare metal ones are not abundant, it is challenging to achieve large-scale production and widespread application of such coatings. Therefore, this study selected Fe5 alloy powder due to its strengthening mechanism, which provides wear resistance through primary carbides within the material and does not contain brittle particles that could easily detach and affect the soil environment. After optimizing the plasma-cladding technology and process, the Fe5 coating is less prone to detachment and cracking, effectively enhancing the wear resistance of rotary tiller blades and preventing the rapid wear-induced shedding of large amounts of metal debris into the soil and thus avoiding soil heavy metal contamination. Additionally, it exhibits good economic viability with relatively low costs, making it suitable for large-scale promotion and application. This study adopted plasma-cladding technology and utilized the response surface methodology for process parameter optimization due to its numerous advantages, such as a wide variety of cladding materials, metallurgical bonding with the substrate, simple processes, low equipment costs, ease of automation, and environmental friendliness. These advantages make it uniquely suitable for enhancing the surface-wear resistance of agricultural machinery components. After identifying the optimal process combination on 65 Mn steel plates, microstructure, phase composition, elemental analyses, wear-resistance testing, and field validation were conducted on coatings prepared using these optimal parameters, aiming to provide references for the surface strengthening of soil-contacting parts, such as deep loosening plows, small front plows, and moving knives.