Patent ID: 8419868

Claim:
A method of improving the resistance of a mechanical component to abrasion, erosion or erosion/corrosion for use in very abrasive, erosion or erosive/corrosive environments, comprising: (a) applying a weld overlay of a Fe—Cr—C hardfacing alloy onto the surface of a metallic component using welding and cladding methods; and (b) heat-treating the weld overlay and component at a temperature between about 1400 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit for about one hour, resulting in additional hardening of the weld overlay to a final hardness of between Rockwell C-50 to C-60 increasing the weld overlay's resistance to abrasion, erosion, or erosion/corrosion; wherein the hardfacing alloy comprises 10-30% chromium; the cooling from the heat-treatment temperature is furnace cooled or air cooled at a rate slow enough to eliminate the forming of martensite or bainite phases during cooling; and the hardening resulting from the heat-treating is not a result of martensite or bainite formation during cooling from the heat-treating.