1.

INTRODUCTION

India is now an agricultural reliant nation has a majority population which relies direct or indirect onto
agriculture and its connected fields for its livelihood. Besides the livelihood of people on welfare, the
farming and agricultural machinery industry is the backbone of our quickly rising economy. (P. Dasgupta
and D. Chakraborty 2005) Agriculture became a difficult undertaking in the current environment due to
the rising need for a greater volume of food output and the shrinking amount of land available for
cultivation. The equipment must function in challenging soil conditions and other situations that increase
the likelihood of excessive wear of the parts, especially those parts that are in contact with the soil, as a
result of the overuse of land for cultivation (. R.C. Panziera, W. H. Flores 2019). The primary cash crops
on the Indian subcontinent are Due to the availability of numerous high yielding and hybrid seed
varieties, wheat and rice is given top importance. There is a significant production of agricultural
residues as a result of widespread cultivation of high-yielding rice and wheat varieties, particularly in
north-western Indian regions. In northwest India, rice threshing, particularly with the aid of combine
harvesters, is very common. Almost all of the residue is left in the field after this process. While rice
straw is not used for any economic purposes due to the high silica content, a significant volume of wheat
bran is used as cow feed. (H. S. Sidhu et al.2015)

Farmers typically burn rice straw in their fields in an effort to get rid of it, which worsens air pollution
and reduces soil nutrients. The outdoor burning straw releases air pollutants, which exacerbates
problems related to climate change. Additionally, the burning practise contributed to the atmospheric
loss of carbon from agriculture. Researchers and intellectuals have been compelled to investigate ways
to reduce the issue of burned rice straw as a result of the severe pressure from environmental
legislation. New possibilities for using this agricultural by-product in a useful way. This led to There are a
few different ways to deal with leftover rice straw. The use of loose straw in composites and as mulch for
new plants. (S. Chaudhary, V. P. Singh,)

There has been an increase in mechanized due to recent changes in farming practises. Because manual
harvesting is expensive, time-consuming, and labour-intensive, seeding and harvesting are now both
done by machines. The design and manufacture of unique seed sowing machines and cultivators, which
provided rice straw management a new direction, are significant inventions in this field.

Currently, the modernization and development of agricultural equipment have increased the agricultural
industry to get excellent results from the same area of land in use for growing. The material qualities,
design elements, and surface are taken into consideration when choosing equipment Characteristics.
Additionally, the surface of the material used to make tools greatly influences how well it works. The
topology, the workplace, and the kind of material contact area. This new tillage equipment generally
meets a major and unavoidable issue of wear under diverse circumstances of structure of soils, water
content and the geographical position of the fields. Most farmers are reluctant to use these instruments
due to financial concerns because they incur additional costs from frequent wear and tear. (B. Aramide,
S. Pityana)

1.1 SERVICE LIFE OF TILLAGE TOOLS

During various farming procedures, tillage instruments typically function in difficult environmental
circumstances. Blades' service life is shortened by abrasion, deterioration, and impact loads from surface
operations. The serviceability of tillage blades is greatly influenced by the soil's texture, moisture level,

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gravel particles, and other factors. (P. Singh and S. S. Chatha 2020). When these machined pieces come
into direct touch with the earth, abrasion from the dirt takes place, which is fatal to the tool's surface
topography. This causes an undesirable tribo-system scenario that reduces the lifespan of tillage tools
adversely.

Mechanical characteristics and strength have a significant impact on the type and intensity of wear of
tool material, abrasive soil particle size, and form. Considering the development of technology

Following extensive research on the design aspects of such tillage tools, many new shapes of tools have
been developed, including the C-type, J-type, Y-type, etc. Below is an illustration of a J-type super seedier
blade made of the high tensile strength and toughness E9 Steel.

The following are the main causes of tillage implements failing or having a shorter lifespan:

• Abrasive Wear

• Corrosive Wear

• Soil texture

• Chemical action of soil on the surface of these tools

• Selection of wrong shape of tool

• Not having the equipment properly fitted

• Lack of knowledge of usage

The most significant of which are abrasive wear & soil characteristics, which account for about 80% of
the incidents of tool failure recorded. This regular tool failure and tool replacement leads to an increase
in the farmers' economic strain (H. S. Sidhu et al2015).

Figure 1: J-Super Seeder Blades

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1.2 Introduction to wear

1.2.1 Wear: Surface and/or subsurface damage occurs when the two solid surfaces come into contact.
The loss of solid metal through one or both surfaces that are in solid phase contact is known as wear.
The word "wear rate" is used to measure wear and is described as "the amount of stuff removed per unit
of time, sliding, or mass, volume, or height distance". Moderate and severe wear are the characteristics
of the wear. The conclusion of mild wear, its worn surface is smoother and lower in wear debris (usually
0.01µm to 1µm in size of particles)

On the other hand, extreme wear leads to bigger wear debris (20 m to 200 m). It is visible to the naked
eye and has a worn-out roughened surface. the crucial apparel Mechanisms include corrosive, adhesive,
erosive, fretting, delamination, abrasive, and adhesive wear. Like frictional force, the wear behaviour of
materials is significant in tribology.

It involves removing of material from a workpiece's surface using a sliding or rolling motion. Wear can
happen in a variety of ways, including dry or lubricated wear, sliding or rolling contact wear, wear via
fracture, and wear due to plastic deformation. Wear can occur in a number of ways, including material
loss through weight, changes in shape or dimension caused by plastic deformation, and one that neither
involves mass loss nor surface damage, such as the emergence of a network of cracks on a surface. Wear
occurs to a variety of mechanical components, including mixer blades, pumps, screw conveyors, etc.
These components are utilised in a variety of industries, including cement, mining, and refinery facilities.
(A. Jafari, K. Dehghani, 2018)

There are primarily two approaches to protect the worn surfaces:

1: Adding a lubricant to separate surfaces

2: Modifying the surface.

1.2.2 WEAR AND ITS MECHANISMS

Based on the material that is already available and what the researcher currently knows, seven various
metal pairings show various forms of significant wear mechanisms. The following discussion includes
these seven mechanisms:

1. Adhesive

Adhesive wear is related to movement of material from one surface to another surface by shearing of
solid welded connections of asperities. On the surface, it leaves dips, voids, pits, and other defects. The
adhesive bond causes this wear to develop. At the contact locations, the cohesion bond of the Pair's
brittle material is weaker than the adhesive bond. Ordinarily, adhesion happens when two metals with
comparable chemical compositions come into contact or when the contact surface is devoid of an oxide
layer. (A vacuum or inert environment).

2. Abrasion

When hard objects like protrusions or particles slide across a smooth, soft surface, wear is the result.
Cutting, wedging, and ploughing phenomena are the outcomes. The act of ploughing also material is

5
moved in both directions during the ridge creation process, creating a groove whether or not material is
removed.

3. Erosive wear

wear caused on by impinging or mechanical contact between a solid surface and a fluid Erosive wear
refers to the wear of liquid or solid particles. When particles moving at a certain speed hit the metal's
surface, causing pits and significant subsurface deformation. On the surface of the metal. The finest
illustration is when raindrops have varied as velocities strike the usual ground surface, they erode the
surface and produce wear.

4. Fretting wear

wear caused on by a tiny oscillating or reciprocating motion between two surfaces are subject to fretting
wear. It works in two steps. After two surfaces rub against one another, causing adhesive wear, a
significant energy stored in the wear particles causes the surfaces to oxidise.

5. Fatigue/ Delamination wear

Wear resulting from fracture from surface fatigue brought on by cyclic loading is known as wear from
fatigue or delamination. It causes a string of pits or voids. Typically, it takes place in Roads, bearings, and
other sliding or rolling contact bodies. following cyclic repetition loading, a fracture is seen on the
surface or the subsurface. The subsurface fissures spread, link up with other cracks, emerge at the
surface, and produce wear particles. Similar to this, the surface fractures descend into bulk, join other
fissures, and unleash a wear particle. Several elements affect the crack's spread. One of the key elements
is the air's relative humidity. It has been According to experimental findings; crack growth happens
quickly when there is a lot of moisture rather than in the dry air

6. Deformation and Ploughing

The frictional resistance is greatest when a hard, rough surface moves over a soft surface of the metal.
The asperities of a hard surface slicing through soft material are what cause them to form. The friction
coefficient is represented by the force needed to cause plastic flow in softer materials. The most
significant process in the majority of sliding scenarios is determined to be the ploughing of a surface by
strong abrasive particles and wear particles.

7. Corrosive/ Oxidative wear

When sliding occurs in a corrosive or oxidative environment, corrosion wear happens. Additionally,
during dry sliding, the oxygen from of the surrounding air or other gases may interact with solid surface.
Corrosive wear can also result from an excessive amount of antiwear additives or even other chemical
agents. At high temperatures, oxygen can interact to sliding surfaces to form oxides known as oxidative
wear. For instance, nickel oxide (NiO) and chromium oxide are produced when Inconel (nickel-chromium
alloys with some iron) oxidises at 100 degrees Celsius (Cr2O3). The surface, however, contains spinel of
NiFe2O4 near the surface and Cr2O3 near the metal interface when the temperature is raised to 280oC.

1.2.3 METHODS TO CONTROL WEAR

There are many types of wear, but there are only four main types of wear systems (tribosystem) that
produce wear and six basic wear control steps. The four basic tribosystem are:

6
1 Relatively smooth solids sliding on other smooth solids

2 Hard, sharp substances sliding on softer surfaces

3 Fatigue of surfaces by repeated stressing (usually compressive)

4 Fluids with or without suspended solids in motion with respect to a solid surface

1.3 WEAR RESISTANT COATINGS

Generally, engineers have used various coatings to increase wear resistance, minimise friction, and
enhance the performance of various mechanical parts. Boiler tubes are one example of an industrial
application where the failure of tube materials results from erosive wear and corrosion caused by the
impingement of exhaust gases comprising ashes and waste particles tubes. The tube needs to be
replaced when the minimum thickness is very thin. A variety of surface coatings could be applied to
protect tube material from erosion and corrosion.

A variety of surface coatings could be applied to protect tube material from erosion and corrosion. It is
also highly challenging to protect various portions of tillage blades and other agricultural components
against erosive wear and abrasive wear.

Surfaces are shielded from corrosion, erosion, and wear by coatings. In order to improve surface
qualities, a layer of protective powders is typically coated out over surface of various parts. Depending
on the deposition technique utilised. (Y. M. Durmaz and F. Yildiz,). The thickness of the coating deposited
on the surface ranges from micro to Nano.

There are a variety of techniques for depositing coatings on a surface, including the most recent ones,
which include:

Chemical Vapour Deposition

• Physical Vapour Deposition

• Thermal Spraying

Physical vapour deposition can be utilised to extend the lifespan of substrate material among the other
coating processes listed. Physical vapour deposition enhances oxidation resistance while also offering
good strength and durability. However, because of its improved bonding properties, thermal spray
coating increases the wear resistance and serviceability of components

1.3.1 CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION PROCESS

Chemical vapour deposition is an extremely flexible method for depositing metal alloys and thin coatings
of semiconductors to create high-quality materials. One or much more precursor are applied to a surface
of the substrate, where they react and breakdown to create the necessary deposit of thin film. Often
Additionally, volatile gases are produced, which are removed by the gas intake through the reaction
chamber. High deposition rate as well as thick coating layers are provided by the chemical vapour
deposition technology. The type of precursors, the deposition circumstances, and the different forms of
energy delivered to the system determine how the reactors used in CVD procedures work to start the
desired chemical reaction.

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Chemical vapour deposition process is utilized to make high-purity and high-performance solid materials.
The most familiar processes are given below

• Metal-organic CVD: In which metal-organics are utilized as precursors (e.g.,

trimethylgallium) (M. Benelmekki and A. Erbe2019).

• Plasma-enhanced CVD: In this plasma is applied to further aid the chemical reactions. (e.g.,

Radio Frequency and microwave-based plasmas)

• Laser-assisted CVD (LACVD): Laser is applied to enhance the chemical reaction. (M. Benelmekki
and A. Erbe).

1.3.2 PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION PROCESS

A technique called physical vapour deposition (PVD) is used to create a metal vapour that can be
deposited as a thin, incredibly adherent pure metal or alloy coating on electrically conductive material.
Using a cathodic arc source, the process can be carried in a high vacuum at a high vacuum (10-6 torr).
PVD involved I Evaporation to produce material vapours. Sputtering (ii). iii) Ion plating followed by
condensation to create a film on a substrate. It takes place at a temperature between 150° and 500°C in
a vacuum. Several nm to thousands of nanometres in thickness are deposited using the PVD technique
(A. Baptista, F. J. G. Silva)

Physical vapour deposition process involves three major steps for the formation of a thin film on

the substrate such as: -

1. Evaporation

2. Transportation

3. Deposition

1.3.3 THERMAL SPRAY COATING DEPOSITION PROCESS

thermal spraying coating processes melted/heated material is sprayed onto surfaces. Material in the
form of powder is injected into a very high temperature plasma flame, where it is rapidly heated and
accelerated to a high velocity. It provides thick and hard coating depending upon feed stocks.

Thermal spraying is a group of processes wherein a feedstock material is heated and propelled as
individual particles or droplets onto a surface. The thermal spray gun generates the necessary heat by
using combustible gases or an electric arc. As the materials are heated, they are changed to a plastic or
molten state and are confined and accelerated by a compressed gas stream to the substrate. The
particles strike the substrate, flatten, and form thin platelets (splats) that conform and adhere to the
irregularities of the prepared substrate and to each other. As the sprayed particle impinge upon the
surface, they cool and build up, splat by splat, into a laminar structure forming the thermal spray coating.

The coating that is formed is not homogenous and typically contains a certain degree of porosity, and, in
the case of sprayed metals, the coating will contain oxides of the metal. Feedstock material may be any

8
substance that can be melted, including metals, metallic compounds, cements, oxides, glasses, and
polymers.

By calculating the coating's bond strength, porosity, oxide concentration, and surface roughness, the
coating's quality can be anticipated. The several thermal spray processes are listed below:

Flame Spraying.

• Plasma Spraying.

• High Velocity Oxy-Fuel Coating Spraying.

• Detonation Spraying.

• Wire arc Spraying.

• Rod Jet Spraying

1.3.3.1 FLAME SPRAY COATING TECHNIQUE

This is a precise coating process where large temperature flame is sustained by burning fuel gas
containing oxygen that can be used to spray coating powder onto a substrate. When the powder
dissolved to create a mist of a substance that is directed towards a base substance. It offers a useful
method for applying heated and metallic coatings in the correct shape. Such a coating enables the
deposition of broad ceramic and metallic coatings onto such a large certain material that are extremely
susceptible to wear.

Figure 1.3: Schematic of Flame Spray Coating

• Advantages of Flame Spray Coating Technique:

The following benefits explain why this method is popular:

• When the workplace requires warm splashes, this method delivers the most convenient working
conditions.

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 • As a result, there are very large, intricate structural regions.
• It is simple to achieve the goal of a proper and smooth coating.

1.3.3.2 Plasma Spraying Technique

In this procedure, a highly hot, ionised gas is produced using an arcs of DC electric current. For the
necessary ignition, tungsten and copper cathode and anode, respectively, are employed in plasma guns.
At temperatures as high as 16000K, gases like hydrogen, helium, and nitrogen—or mixtures of these
gases—are ionised in order to produce plasma jets with the necessary velocity and impact. Metal
powders are fired into to the gun, melted by the plasma plume, and then directed at the substrate
surface.

• Advantage of Plasma Spraying Technique:

The fundamental benefit of this technology is that it enables the use of coating materials with extremely
high melting temperatures, such as refractory metals.

1.3.3.3 High Velocity Oxy-Fuel Spray (HVOF)

The field of thermal spraying has recently advanced thanks to high Oxy-Fuel Spray (HVOF) method.
Through this process, fuel gases like hydrogen, kerosene, propylene, and propane are combined with
oxygen. The material is injected into the combustion chamber as dry powder including the fuel and
oxygen. This fed charge burns, creating a hypersonic gas flow at high temperature and pressure. The
particles melt inside the combustion chamber and strike the targeted surface moving at a high rate of
speed and having a big effect on the substrate for HVOF manner, the jet enlarges as it approaches the
surface, coating a sizable portion of the area to be coated. This method produces coatings that are
incredibly dense and sticky.

Figure 1.4: Schematic of HVOF Technique

• Advantage of HVOF technique

It creates thick coatings with less oxidation and deterioration of metallic elements.

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1.3.3.4 DETONATION SPRAYING

In this procedure, acetylene and oxygen are combined with a little amount of metallic. A charge is
created by sparking powder that is poured into a barrel. The spark melts all metallic powder that is
directed at the necessary surface, resulting in coatings that are the proper thickness and finish.

• Advantages of Detonation Spraying:

large range of metallic, ceramic, and other materials can be easily deposited

1.3.3.5 WIRE ARC SPRAYING

In the wire arc spray technique, two-wire electrodes coupled with a DC high current source of power
create the arc. These disposable wire electrodes were fed into the gun, where the heat energy from the
electric current melts the wires. Targeted at the substrate's surface is a jet of driven air and molten
metal. The temperature of the substrate surface may be kept low since there is no participation of any
hot jet of gas, which eliminated any possibilities of work piece deformation.

• Advantage of Wire Arc Spraying

Due to the high energy required to melt the wires, the technique is particularly energy efficient.

• No thermal asymmetry.
• This technique can also use readily available inert gases in a controlled atmosphere.

1.3.3.6 ROD JET SPRAY COATING

It is a new method for coating ceramic rods with a high-quality ceramic layer using combustion flame
spraying. No unmolten materials are deposited and over surface during this process because the
materials rods are completely melted inside the flame flow before even being projected onto to the
surface. In order to maintain their molten state until they contact the substrate, the molten particles
must have a high kinetic energy and thermal mass. This enhanced bond formation between both the
particles as well as the substrate improves wear and temperature resistance. (S. Costil,)

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 Figure 1.5: Schematic of Rod Jet Spray Coating

• Advantages of Rod Jet Spray Coating Technique

i) Use of basic Oxygen and Acetylene gasses for combustion.
ii) No requirement for cooling water or inert gas.
iii) Ceramic rods made of titanium, alumina, and chromium oxide (Cr3O2) is spray able.

Applications of Flame Spray Coating

• This technique can be found useful in the following areas of applications.

i) Cuttings tools
ii) Tillage blades
iii) Pump impeller
iv) Mechanical seals

1.3.3.7 Why thermal spray coating?

The use of thermal spray coating is a well-known method for the resurfacing and surface of engineered
components and parts. To create coating microstructures with the appropriate properties, a range of
substrate materials can be deposited with metals, alloys, metal oxides, metal/ceramic blends, carbides,
wires, and rods. Thermal spray coatings create a useful surface that can protect against or modify the
behaviour of a substrate material. There are numerous methods for applying thermal coating, the most
well-known of which is the flame spray method. Rod spray is a more recent method for applying thermal
coating. They are particularly well suited to counteract abrasive wear, which is the main requirement for
tillage implements. (J. Singh, S. S. Chatha,2020)

1.4 Surface hardening

The application of deposits made up of specialist alloys is known as hard facing, often known as
"hardsurfacing." This can be done using techniques including welding, thermal spraying, and cladding.
They serve as a barrier to withstand wear caused by impact, erosive, abrasive, or corrosion. A new part
can have hard facing applied to it during production or to repair worn-out surfaces. It demonstrates to
be an economical method for depositing protective coating on a material. Hard-facing improves the
component's service life, effectively extending the lifetime of machinery.

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All of these components encounter the issue of wear, thus in order to lengthen their service life and
reduce losses due to wear in diverse industries, they are hard-faced with a protective, wear-resistant
coating in various kinds that depend on their working. Any component's size will decrease over the
course of its service life due to wear factors; as a result, it cannot be used any longer and must either be
replaced or fixed using a different approach to avoid product rejection for poor service. It must be
repaired if at all feasible by certain surface deposition because the cost of replacement for the same is
once again high.

Critically examining the substrate's surface morphology becomes crucial. Considering the operating
circumstances to accurately describe the hardfacing method while retaining accuracy controlling the
process's variables. Most commonly, hardfacing is connected to the agro-farming, processing, cement,
and rock crushing industries.

• TECHNIQUES OF HARDFACING
i) Thermal Spraying

Using a technique called thermal spraying, material in powder form gets sprayed with high utilising a
spray cannon, velocity onto the substrate. Most commonly, this approach is utilised for components that
need thin, durable coverings. This approach not only offers a consistent thin layer, yet with this
technique, the work piece only barely experiences any thermal distortion.

It also provides excellent complete power over the process variables without introducing distortion. This
typically involves a Without any evaporation, sublimation, or breakdown, powdered material is melted.
During thermal spraying, a method that also seems to be cost-effective.

ii) Welding

The most popular form of hard facing is welding, which is mostly utilised where thick Additionally, dense
coatings with strong bonds are preferred. This approach uses wire or rod as the coating material, and a
substrate with the ability to tolerate high heating temperatures is needed. Additionally, the substrate
and coating material both need to be electrically conductive. This method can be used to apply a film of
metallic coating across a metal foundation. The key benefit of using welding above thermal spraying is
because Additionally, a section of the substrate's surface melts partially, creating a fusion zone where
While a strong penetrative connection between the molten surface coating and substrate is formed
thermal spraying doesn't use. (J. Coronado, H. F. Caicedo)

iii) Cladding

When material in the form of a foil, sheet, or plate is adhered to something, the process is known as
cladding. The substrate surfaces to improve the material's tribological characteristics. Where thermal
spraying and welding cannot be used to coat surfaces, the cladding method is used. This technique is
mostly employed in situations when changes in bulk qualities necessitate surface improvement. In
contrast with thermal spraying & welding techniques, it is able to boost wear protection since it
generates relatively thick coatings.

• ADVANTAGES OF HARDFACING
• Hard facing's longer service life and lower replacement rate compared to standard parts.
• increases the material's wear resistance and hardness at a relatively lower cost.

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 2 LITERATURE SURVEY

Inside the field of agricultural and agro-machine parts, significant research has been done to improve
friction and wear as well as surface qualities by using various forms of protective coatings. The next part
looks at various deposition techniques, coatings, and coating applications as a result of a thorough
review of the literature.

Asthana et al... Discussed surface engineering and coatings, which are applied to surfaces to increase
wear hardness and resistance while preserving the ductility and toughness of the bulk component, and
which are used to shield produced components from heat or corrosive degradation to make it more
aesthetically pleasing. When choosing coatings for a particular application, many aspects must be taken
into account. There are no things as an all-purpose coating that may be applied in any circumstance.

Coatings are neither intrinsically good or bad, and every coating choice is the result of compromise to
account for all the relevant factors. Operational parameters, material compatibility concerns, substrate
type and surface preparation, application speed and time, cost, safety, environmental implications,
coating characteristics, and structural design must all be taken into account when choosing a coating.
The best coating should be chosen through elimination instead of choosing. Experimentation and
analysis go hand in hand when creating coatings for contemporary technological applications.

Grewal et al. (2016)

studied how the wear characterisation of TiAlN coatings is affected by sliding velocity. In this study,
TiAlN coatings were applied to AISI-304 boiler steel using the plasma spray method at temperatures of
500° and 200°C. several factors, including XRD analysis, optical, and other techniques had identified the
coating's thickness, hardness, and porosity. FESEM and microscopy using the EDAX technique. Pin-on-
disc equipment has been the subject of experiments. The outcomes show that the substrate surface's
TiAlN coating had reduced wear. Compared to traditional coating, rate. The results also show that the
production of oxides in PVD coatings may be possible, making the coating more resistant to wear; in
contrast, oxides in traditional coatings may be fractured or detached, making traditional coatings
ineffective at preventing wear on substrate surfaces.

Sidhu et al. (2015)

developed and tested the 9-row Turbo Happy Seeder to address the issue of sowing wheat seeds into
dense residues of rice crop in north-western India without burning rice straw. Numerous field tests
showed that the performance and yield of wheat put into paddy field without burning the straw were
comparable to or higher when using this seeder than when using the traditional sowing method. It
reduced the costs of fuel use and crop establishment, ensuring the best possible sowing window.

Aramide et al. (2021)

examined issues with the tillage implements. They discovered that improper ploughing practises, subpar
planting, and higher fuel expenses all contribute to the destruction of tools. The issues like wear,
corrosion, and tribo-corrosion are added to these. They reviewed the findings of numerous distinguished
researchers and came to a brief review report about the on-field failures of tillage tools, abrasive wear
mechanisms, factors influencing tool wear, and various technologies used in countering wear as well as

14
corrosion in agricultural production and other industries. They then made recommendations on the
trustworthy novel findings recently discovered.

Mehta et al. (2018)

made an effort to prolong the life of boron steel, which is utilised in agricultural equipment. The
component sample was given a protective layer of tungsten carbide containing 12% cobalt, and a study
using a pin-on-disc arrangement under various load situations was conducted. The worn-out sample was
subjected to SEM/EDAX and XRD analyses, and it was found that, at low load values and with the
adequate lubrication, coatings with increased cerium oxide contents showed practically no wear loss.

Souza et al. (2020)

surface energy and wear mechanisms were used to examine the wear behaviour for TiAlN and AlCrN
coatings. The findings showed that after coating surfaces with TiAlN and AlCrN AlCrN coating performed
better on the substrate compared to TiAlN. The result of Because of the typical relationship between
cutting tool and substrate imposed coating and tool material, which is used in various material removal
processes, more research is needed on surface energy and reliability of coated tools. This is because
necessary properties of tool making materials, such as toughness, hardness, and elastic modulus, are
insufficient to properly investigate the performance of coating materials.

Sundararajan et al. (2005)

evaluated the wear behaviour of thermal spray coatings depending on many characteristics, including
coating composition, porosity and microstructure, residual stress, type of phases, and distribution. The
traditional approach for assessing wear resistance uses all these parameters to calculate the coating's
hardness. The effects of coatings are evaluated for resistance to erosive wear, abrasive type wear, and
sliding wear in conjunction with variations in micro - hardness, phases changes made and their
dispersion in the phase, as well as coating porosity.According to the research, the provided coating had
inferior properties compared to the majority of same material composition, and its micro-hardness and
wear characteristics were strongly influenced by coating processing parameters rather than structural
factors like phase distribution as well as porosity contents.

Xiong-zhuang et al. (2012)

In order to lessen the issue of the expensive and shortened wear rate of the cutter used in the field straw
chopper, the flame spray-welding technology parameters of NiWC have been optimised. This allows for
the preparation of a protective covering on the substrate EN 45 steel. Along with the impact of acetylene
stream, the temperature of the preheat, and the spraying distance, the influence of the WC component
in the aforementioned coating was investigated.

Ramulu et al. (2016)

studied the wear characteristics of the rotavator blades. For this study, they chose L type blades from
two separate manufacturers. They came to the conclusion that blades having higher chromium and
silicon composition exhibited greater wear resistance with higher hardness after looking into specific
characteristics like hardness and wear with regard to weight and volume.

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Yalwan (2006)

This study's goal was to increase wear resistance by using three distinct hard facing electrodes to coat a
low-alloy steel chisel ploughshare. In the field and the lab, comparative wear studies using electrodes on
a standard share and three different types of hardfacing were performed. These three distinct hardfacing
electrodes, with the model numbers EH-600, EH-350, and EH-14Mn, were employed. The wear rate
inside the lab and in the field testing were shown to be statistically significantly different. The best
hardfacing electrodes, when cost is taken into account, have been discovered to be EH-600 and EH-350.

Mohanty et al. (1996)

It is necessary to apply coatings to reduce wear and/or adjust friction during sliding contact, as well as to
increase surface qualities above the bulk properties. They examined the wear behaviour of Cr3C2/NiCr
coatings using HVOF, Wear rate increases as the load but is not inversely related to load, according to
research on load and relative speed. In Cr3C2/NiCr coatings made using the High Velocity Oxy Fuel (HVOF)
process, splats, oxides, porosity, cohesive strength, shape, and dispersion of second phases all affect the
friction coefficient as well as the wear mechanisms.

Wang et al. (2000)

have made an effort to maintain the conticaster rolls, which were commonly inoperative as a result of
challenging working conditions. Rolls were provided a coating of Cr3C2-NiCr detonation spray coatings.
The orthogonal test was used to identify the most appropriate technological variables. They found that
now the coatings had excellent adhesion to the substrates, great resistance to oxidation and wear at
high temperatures, and were very thick. Based on the findings, it was determined that the roll life had
been at least doubled by the coatings formed by the authors' Cr3C2-NiCr detonation spray coating.

Guan et al. (2021) applied protective surface coatings made of four different materials—TiAlN, CrN, Poly-
Tetra-Fluoro-Ethylene (PTFE), and Ni-P-PTFE—on rotary blades to compare their wear characteristics.
Thorough tribological experiment and analysis revealed that although plastic-based coatings (PTFE) had
greater wear resistance and substantially lower friction coefficients than metal-based coatings (TiAlN,
CrN), plastic-based coatings were more suited and cost-effective for rotary blades.

Rajasekaran et al. (2009)

In his investigations, he described how detonation gun spraying, a type of thermal spraying, is very well
known for its distinctive trait of creating coatings with compressive stresses and a high degree of
hardness. When compared to plasma spraying, it performed better under rolling contact situations. Due
to decreased heat enthalpy and a shorter deposition time, D-gun spraying reduces the breakdown of the
feed powder. Additionally, increased particle velocity after deposition results in coatings with benefits
including lesser porosity, increased bond strength, and hardness on par with plasma spray and velocity
oxygen-fuel spray. Cobalt-embedded tungsten carbide coating, which combines WC as the hard
component and Co as the ductile binder, is the coating that is most frequently created by the D-gun
spray and has good qualities, in particularCobalt-embedded tungsten carbide coating, which combines
WC as the tough constituent & Co as the ductility binder, is the coating that is most frequently created
by the D-gun spray. It has good qualities, particularly a high wear resistance.

16
Kahraman & Gülenç (2002)

When the abrasive wear resistance of flame-sprayed coatings on steel substrates was studied, it was
discovered that heating the substrates before coating resulted in a reduction in the hardness of the
coating layers. It was also discovered that now the wear resistance of cold-coated samples was found to
be higher than that of the hot-coated specimen's condition.

Bressan et al. (2001)

to investigate the wear process of coatings applied onto HSS and WC-hard metal, an experiment on pin-
on-disk was undertaken. A rise in temperature and a decrease in volume were seen after each circle
because of wear at the pin's point. SEM research was conducted on the chosen substrate surface. It has
been found through experimentation that TiAlN coatings perform better than TiCN coatings. A significant
improvement in wear resistance was also created by the deposition with those coatings on WC hard
metal and M2 high-speed steel.

Schrader et al. (2010)

examined the tribological behaviour of several PVD coating types. Three of the most recent PVD
coatings—TiC, TiAlN, and AlCrN—as well as two reference PVD coatings—TiN and TiAlCN—are included
in this study. To determine friction factor and wear behaviour, two different types of testing, such as a
double cub extrusion (DCE) & coupled punching-forward extrusion (CPFE), are performed. The findings
show that TiC and AlCrN, both of which have a multi-layered structure, exhibit the same degree of wear
resistance. TiAlN is taken from the work piece in the case of mono-layered coatings, however.

Guan et al. (2021)

applied protective surface coatings made of four different materials—TiAlN, CrN, Poly-Tetra-Fluoro-
Ethylene (PTFE), and Ni-P-PTFE—on rotary blades to compare their wear characteristics. Thorough
tribological testing and analysis revealed that although plastic-based coatings (PTFE) had greater wear
resistance and substantially lower friction coefficients than metal-based coatings (TiAlN, CrN), plastic-
based coatings were more suited and cost-effective for rotary blades.

Aramide et al. (2021)

examined issues with the tillage implements. They discovered that improper ploughing practises, bad
planting, and higher fuel expenses all contribute to the destruction of tools. The issues like wear,
corrosion, especially tribo-corrosion are added to these. They reviewed the findings of numerous
distinguished researchers and came to a brief review report about the on-field failures of tillage tools,
abrasive wear mechanisms, factors influencing tool wear, and various technologies used during
countering wear as well as corrosion throughout agriculture and other industries. They then made
recommendations on the trustworthy novel findings recently discovered.

Souza et al. (2020)

surface energy and wear mechanisms were used to examine the wear behaviour for TiAlN and AlCrN
coatings. The findings showed that because when TiAlN as well as AlCrN coatings were applied to
substrates, AlCrN coating produced superior outcomes. Because of the typical relationship between

17
cutting tool and substrate imposed coating and tool substance which is used in various material removal
processes, further research is needed to understand the impact of surface energy and performance of
coated tools. Required characteristics of tool making materials such as strength and hardness,
toughness, and elastic modulus are insufficient to properly investigate the effectiveness of coated tools.

Durmaz et al. (2019)

estimated increase in tool life of carbide tools used in modern machining processes coated with
Titanium, Aluminium, Silicon, Chromium, etc. All specimens coated using AlCrN and TiAlN coatings had
the highest hardness values, and even an increased hardness were seen throughout the coating process.
The cutting tool coated using TiAlN ceramic film produced the least amount of flank wear, but the
uncoated WC substrate had the best wear performance.

Singh et al. (2020)

Agricultural shovels were given strong facings in an effort to prolong the tool's life. With the aid of
methods like optical microscopy, SEM, and XRD, the wear behaviour of bare (EN-47 steel) and four
different hard facings (H1, H2, VB, and LH550) was examined in terms of weight loss and wear resistance
indices.

Except for H2 type, it was discovered that hard facings improved significantly overall wear
behaviour of a shovels.

18
3.REASEARCH GAP AND PROBLEM FORMULATION

The operating environments of mechanical parts in the field are quite demanding when taking into
account the machinery and mechanical parts utilised in agriculture nowadays. The surface morphology
of agricultural machinery and equipment must be taken into account a variety of complex requirements,
including chemical, environmental, and physical variables. In layman's terms, it may be claimed that
wear directly affects how long agricultural parts like tillage tools and blades last. It is the primary
determining factor for a component's service life in the actual operating environment.

In this proposed study It is necessary to investigate the wear of EN 19 high tensile steel, which can be
utilised to make superseeder blades. These blades function under harsh and demanding operating
conditions. Because of the abrasive effect of soil particles, abrasion and erosive wear are the primary
elements that severely affect these blades. Blade replacement is a regular technique that farmers find to
be very unprofitable and raises the cost of output overall. The life cycle of blades shortens to an
unsettling degree, which boosts the price of agricultural inputs overall and goes against the idea of the
goal of lowering costs by using contemporary gear in agricultural practises.

Few studies have utilised protective coatings onto tillage instruments to improve wear behaviour,
despite the fact that a lot of work has just been reported on the wear of rotavators or even other tillage
tools employing the method of hard face. After a thorough analysis of the literature, the concept of
applying protective coatings to these components to lengthen their service lives and, as a result,
decrease the frequency of blade replacement, germinated.

According to the literature research, PVD and CVD coatings were employed to extend the life of cutting
devices The efficiency of PVD coatings was assessed by a large group of scientists and researchers using
pin-on-disk machines. However, the focus of these investigations was limited to traditional micro size
coatings, while nano-coatings were not taken into account. Additionally, TiAlN & AlCrN coatings are
typically applied to cutting tools to extend their useful lives and to solve sliding wear issues in both uni-
and bi-directional applications.

Additionally, some other researchers examined several coating types made of AlN, TiN, CrN, AlCrN,
TiAlN, and TiAlCN to boost wear resistance.

According to the reviewed literature, lot research has been conducted on hard facing of cutting as well
as agricultural tools, but very few researchers have addressed the issue of wear in super seeder/zero
tillage tools used during agriculture by that of the implementation of protective coatings utilising Rod jet
Spray coating technique, that is a latest advancement in coating technology. The newest technique to
increase the life span of tribological components is protective coatings. Therefore, it is suggested that
the tillage blades be coated using the Rod jet spray approach.

Additionally, with the aid of previous research, it was found that a small number of coating combinations
for tillage tools remain unapplied. Therefore, in an effort to produce innovative results in this area. The
coatings containing CrO3. Is used for the conduct of the experiment and the Rod jet spray will be used as
the method to perform the coatings. It is suggested that the blades be hard faced using the same
material that will be employed for protective coatings in order to validate the investigation.

19
Pin-on-disc equipment will be used to perform a tribological analysis for coated, hard-faced, and
uncoated samples in accordance with ASTM G-99 standard. By adjusting the applied load & rotational
speed input parameters under various simulated conditions, the specimens would be put to the test.
SEM/EDAX analysis of the morphological studies will be done.

4.OBJECTIVES

• To successfully defuse the layers of protective coating of CrO3 on substrate surface made up of
EN-19 alloy steel by the application of ROD JET SPRAY techniques.
• In order to correctly hard face blade material, i.e. Using the same ingredients, EN-19 alloy steel
as that of the protective coatings applied using the rodojet thermal spraying approach.
• SEM/EDAX analysis will be used to examine overall morphology of worn-out samples.
• to analyze and compare the wear characteristics of test samples that are coated, hard-faced, and
bare.

20
5. METHODOLOGY

selecting a substrate's material for wear analysis.

Preparation of selected specimens

select coatings to deposit on the substrate.

selecting the appropriate coating method

characterization of the coatings that were applied.

Tribological testing of the uncoated, hard faced, and coated

samples will be done using pin-on-disc equipment.

SEM/EDAX equipment used for morphological examination

of worn-out uncoated and coated samples.

Analysis of the test results and discussions of the samples.

conclusions based on the findings of the analysis.

21
6. SCOPE OF PRESENT WORK

In addition to the service environment and load carrying capacity, the features of surfaces and their
surface layers also have an effect on the performance of engineering components. The current study
focuses on the issue of wear, which affects the agricultural industry significantly. Researchers need to
pay attention to this issue to extend the tool life of tillage blades since wear of the tillage blades for use
in super seeder as well as other modern agricultural tillage machinery causes significant vibrations and
power consumption while operating in the fields.

The question is now, how and by what technique?

Only a handful of researchers have addressed up the topic of performance assessment for wear
resistance for protective surface coatings on blades, despite previous researchers' exploration of hard
facing methods to enhance wear-resistant qualities.

Physical vapour deposition is one of the technically and economically feasible film deposition techniques
among the various surface modification techniques. It has the ability to deposit coatings on the surface,
providing benefits like durability, wear resistance, highly corrosive resistance, and high-performance
coatings for various applications. In order to better understand how surface coatings are applied to
tillage equipment, particularly superseeder blades, researchers will benefit from this proposed study.

7. PROPOSED PLACE OF WORK

• Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana.

8. FACILITIES USED

• The pin on disc wear testing machine

• X-ray diffractometer apparatus (XRD)
• Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
• Rodo jet 9810 spray apparatus
• Weight Measuring apparatus
• Vernier calliper
• Abrasive cutting wheel for sample preparation

22
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