Improving the crack resistance of blast furnace skips

Ivan Kryvda*

kryvda.v@icloud.com

Received 12.12.2025, Revised 01.04.2026, Accepted 28.04.2026, Published 29.05.2026
Abstract

The operation of the blast furnace lining is accompanied by intense abrasive and impact wear, which makes it necessary to develop iron-containing surfacing materials with a heterogeneous carbide microstructure to increase strength and wear resistance. The aim of the work was to increase the mechanical strength and durability of the lining of the blast furnace shop by optimising the structure of the deposited layers and establishing regularities between the microstructure, mechanical properties and wear resistance of the coatings. The research was carried out using electric arc surfacing on samples of 09G2S steel. Tests were conducted for hardness, impact toughness and abrasive wear, as well as microstructural analysis of the surfaced layers and assessment of the nature of crack formation after microindentation. The main results of the experimental studies show that the hardness of the deposited layers ranged from 52 HRC in SAS Global to 58 HRC in VELTEC, while the impact toughness varied from 18 J/cm² in Duroxite to 22 J/cm² in VELTEC, demonstrating an inverse relationship between hardness and impact toughness: harder layers are more prone to brittle fracture. Abrasive wear tests showed that VELTEC demonstrated the best wear resistance with a mass loss of 0.12 g and only one crack per 100 cm², while SAS Global had the highest number of cracks (4 per 100 cm²) and a mass loss of 0.20 g, and Duroxite had intermediate values – 0.18 g mass loss and 3 cracks. As a result, it was found that the formation of a hypereutectic structure with an M₇C₃ carbide phase contributes to a reduction in the intensity of abrasive wear and limits the spread of microcracks. The obtained welded layers are characterised by a combination of increased hardness and sufficient impact toughness, which is critical for the operation of the lining under variable impact loads. The practical value of the results lies in the possibility of their use in the restoration and modernisation of blast furnace linings in order to increase the inter-repair resource and reduce operating costs

Keywords:
welding; microstructure; wear; strength; residual stress; hardness

Retrieved from Volume 24, No. 1, 2026

Pages 86–93

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Kryvda, I. (2026). Improving the crack resistance of blast furnace skips. Journal of Kryvyi Rih National University, 24(1), 86-93. https://doi.org/10.31721/2306-5451-2026-1-24-86-93
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