Dear Colleagues,

Surface deterioration is a very real problem in many industries. Intensive wear of machine and apparatus parts in mining, quarrying, petrochemical, metallurgical, cement, construction, power generation, and many more industries is driving the increasing demand for innovative materials and technologies for the production of surface layers and coatings that are increasingly durable. Periodically occurring failures of machine elements caused by impact, abrasive, erosion, compression, cavitation, adhesive, corrosion wear, oxidation, thermal shock, or a combination of these leads to economic losses in the form of unplanned production downtime and are associated with the frequent requirement for replacement of parts and, in extreme cases, loss of health and life. During the wear process, the surface layer of material is degraded and damaged by mechanical, high temperature, or chemical reaction between the worn element and other elements or aggressive environments. During the prolonged wear process, weight loss and change of dimensions and shape of the subjected part are observed. These processes are observed under conditions of surface contact with metals, nonmetals, solid or liquid particles in a liquid medium, and flow of liquids. Wear intensity is a function of wear type, process parameters, and surface layer resistance. In principle, wear is the main factor influencing the reliability and durability of machines and products.

The effects of wear can be repaired using, among other things, welding technologies. Surfacing, coating, cladding, thermal spraying, galvanization processes with specialized welding filler materials are used to replace worn metal with metal that can provide more satisfactory wear resistance than the original. These technologies are also applied for the purpose of reducing wear or loss of material by abrasion, impact, erosion, oxidation, cavitation, corrosion, etc.

Many of the abovementioned types of wear occur in conjunction with others. It is wise to consider not only one factor but to look for a combination of factors that create the wear problem in order to determine the best type of surfacing material to apply. This is achieved by studying the worn part, the job it does, how it works with other parts of the equipment, and the environment in which it works. With these factors in mind, it is then possible to make a decision regarding selection of surfacing, plating, spraying, or galvanizing alloy. In order to properly select an alloy for a specific requirement, it is necessary to understand the wear phenomena that have occurred. Wear prediction proves to be difficult due not only to the dependence on material and design properties but also on difficulties in the quantification and control of tribological systems during the lifetime.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to present the latest developments in the field of research on innovative technologies and materials to produce surface layers and coatings resistant to mechanical wear, thermal wear, and corrosion.

The main topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• the study of modern welding technologies to produce surface layers and clads resistant to mechanical wear, thermal wear, and corrosion;
• the study of modern thermal spraying technologies to produce coatings resistant to mechanical wear, thermal wear, and corrosion;
• the study of modern braze cladding technologies to produce clads resistant to corrosion;
• the study of modern anticorrosion protection methods to produce coatings resistant to corrosion;
• the study of structure and mechanical properties of surface layers, coatings, and clads produced on metal substrate;
• the study of wear mechanisms of surface layers, coatings, and clads resistant to mechanical wear, thermal wear, and corrosion;
• the characterization of materials to produce surface layers and coatings resistant to mechanical wear, thermal wear, and corrosion;
• the characterization techniques for the innovative surface layers and coatings;
• the study of improved economics of production surface layers, coatings, and clads resistant to mechanical wear, thermal wear, and corrosion.

Dr. Artur Czupryński
Prof. Dr. Claudio Mele
Guest Editors

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• welding
• surfacing
• hardfacing
• cladding
• spraying
• wear
• erosion
• abrasion
• corrosion