Wear resistant material and system and method of creating a wear resistant material

Abstract

A system and method of forming a wear resistant composite material includes placing a porous wear resistant filler material in a mold cavity and infiltrating the filler material with a matrix material by heating to a temperature sufficient to melt the matrix material, then cooling the assembly to form a wear resistant composite material. The system and method can be used to form the wear resistant composite material on the surface of a substrate, such as a part for excavating equipment or other mechanical part. One suitable matrix material may be any of a variety of ductile iron alloys.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 65 . (canceled) 
     
     
         66 . A wear part for earth engaging equipment comprising:
 a metal substrate including a working portion for engaging earthen material, the working portion including a surface;   an expendable sheet metal shell connected by welding or brazing to the substrate, a portion of the sheet metal shell being spaced from the substrate to define a cavity between the surface of the substrate and the shell; and   a composite material substantially filling the cavity and forming a coating on at least a portion of the surface of the substrate, the composite coating comprising a porous wear resistant material infiltrated by a ductile iron matrix material, wherein the matrix material is principally ductile iron and bonds the coating to the working portion and the shell.   
     
     
         67 . The wear part of  claim 66 , wherein the matrix material has a composition comprising, in weight percent, approximately 3.0-4.0% carbon, approximately 1.8-2.8% silicon, approximately 0.1-1.0% manganese, approximately 0.01-0.03% sulfur, and approximately 0.01-0.1% phosphorous, with the balance being iron and incidental elements and impurities. 
     
     
         68 . The wear part of  claim 67 , wherein the composition of the matrix material further comprises up to 37 wt. % nickel. 
     
     
         69 . The wear part of  claim 67 , wherein the composition of the matrix material further comprises up to 5.5 wt. % chromium. 
     
     
         70 . The wear part of  claim 67 , wherein the composition of the matrix material further comprises up to 5.5 wt. % silicon. 
     
     
         71 . The wear part of  claim 66 , wherein the wear resistant material is a particulate material, and the matrix material bonds the wear resistant material together. 
     
     
         72 . The wear part of  claim 66 , wherein the wear resistant material comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: carbides, nitrides, borides, silicides, intermetallic compounds of transition metals, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         73 . The wear part of  claim 66 , wherein the shell is connected to the substrate by welding or brazing rearward of the cavity. 
     
     
         74 . The wear part of  claim 66 , where the wear resistant material within the cavity is primarily particles less than 1 mm in size. 
     
     
         75 . A wear part for earth engaging equipment comprising:
 a substrate including a base portion for attachment to the earth engaging equipment and a working portion for engaging earthen material, the working portion including a surface; and   a composite material substantially filling the cavity and forming a coating on at least a portion of the surface of the substrate, the composite coating comprising a porous wear resistant material infiltrated by a ductile iron matrix material, wherein the matrix material is principally ductile iron and bonds the coating to the working portion and the shell.   
     
     
         76 . The wear part of  claim 75 , further comprising a mold connected by welding or brazing to the substrate, a portion of the mold being spaced from the substrate to define a cavity between the surface of the substrate and the mold. 
     
     
         77 . The wear part of  claim 75 , wherein the matrix material has a composition comprising, in weight percent, approximately 3.0-4.0% carbon, approximately 1.8-2.8% silicon, approximately 0.1-1.0% manganese, approximately 0.01-0.03% sulfur, and approximately 0.01-0.1% phosphorous, with the balance being iron and incidental elements and impurities. 
     
     
         78 . The wear part of  claim 77 , wherein the composition of the matrix material further comprises up to 37 wt. % nickel. 
     
     
         79 . The wear part of  claim 75 , wherein the wear resistant material is a particulate material, and the matrix material bonds the wear resistant material together. 
     
     
         80 . The wear part of  claim 75 , wherein the wear resistant material comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: carbides, nitrides, borides, silicides, intermetallic compounds of transition metals, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         81 . The wear part of  claim 75 , where the wear resistant material within the cavity is primarily particles less than 1 mm in size.