The friction force in mechanical systems not only reduces their efficiency but also causes wear in the machine components, resulting in financial losses. As in every sector, in agricultural production, the problem of abrasion, particularly in soil tillage, is extremely important. Studies have been conducted examining the different methods for minimizing wear on tillage machinery. In this study, the cultivator blades of a boron-alloyed 30MnB5 steel substrate were coated with WC–10Co–4Cr ceramic powder by way of the Diamond Jet high-velocity oxygen-fuel (DJ-HVOF) technique. The microstructure of the sample and its wear properties under field conditions were then investigated. The microstructure, porosity, hardness, surface roughness and wear properties of the samples were revealed. The coating was observed to be well bonded, both mechanically and metallurgically, and the hardness of the coating was three times higher than that of the uncoated substrate material. In the field trials, the wear was found to be six times lower due to the hardness of the WC–10Co–4Cr coating and the hard carbide phases in its microstructure. As a result, the HVOF coating was shown to minimize wear, which is a big problem in tillage machinery. This can extend the economic life of machinery and make agricultural production more efficient.

The poor abrasive wear behavior of agricultural machinery affects the farmers all over the world, rendering their activities more inefficient and negatively affecting their productivity. Therefore, innovation in the manufacture of soil cultivation machinery and the selection of wear-resistant materials has been of great importance. Recently, boron alloys, in particular, have been used in the manufacture of machinery parts that work the soil. The aim of this was to investigate the behavior of the blades of the machines widely used in soil cultivation in agricultural production following a surface treatment technique. For this purpose, the blades made of 30MnB5, a material widely used in the production of cultivator blades, were used as substrate samples in the trials as well as blades of the same substrate coated with Fe28Cr5C1Mn alloy wire via the electric arc spray technique. The morphologies and structures of the uncoated and coated samples were comprehensively analyzed by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. In addition, their microhardness, porosity, and surface roughness properties were assessed separately before and after plowing. These prepared blades were tested under in the same conditions by plowing the same field at two different soil moisture. Although the weight loss was measured as 9.4 g and 5.4 g in the uncoated and in the coated sample at 9% moisture level, respectively, the weight losses were at 14% humidity level were 10.6 g and 5.9 g in the uncoated and coated samples, respectively. Although the amount of wear increased with increasing humidity levels in both groups, the mass wear loss in cultivator blades coated with Fe25Cr5C1Mn alloy wire was found to be lower in all trials. The results suggest that coating the cultivator blades using electric arc spray would increase agricultural productivity and reduce factors that cause environmental pollution.

The wear that occurs during tillage in agricultural machinery shortens the material’s life and increases costs. This study investigated the microstructure and morphology of cultivator blades coated with atmospheric plasma spray (APS) process and tested under real field conditions using OM, SEM, EDX, and XRD techniques. Abrasion tests were conducted in an area of 110 hectares and under two different soil moisture conditions. Material properties were investigated using hardness and surface roughness tests. The coating process was successful both mechanically and metallurgically by applying Ni-WC ceramic-metal (cermet) powder on the surface of 30MnB5 steel substrate with APS. The oxide and carbide structures detected on the coating surface by XRD studies resulted in a 1.5 times higher coating hardness. Due to the hard carbide phases in the coating matrix, the grooves on the wear surfaces were shallow and narrow compared to the substrate sample. The surface roughness values of the coated sample were approximately two times higher than the substrate sample. Due to the microstructure and high hardness, the coated specimen experienced three times less abrasion in both humidity conditions. The APS method can be successfully applied to the machined parts of tillage machines. In the near future, the cost of agricultural production can be reduced, and the environment can benefit from this method. In conclusion, this study presents a feasible approach to improving the wear resistance of Ni-WC ceramic-metal alloy by plasma spray coating under real field conditions.