Carbide wear surface and method of manufacture

An article having at least one wear surface, the article comprising a support with a surface and a wear layer bonded to the surface, the wear layer functioning as the at least one wear surface of the article and being comprised of a consolidation, in brazing alloy, of a matrix comprised of a plurality of sintered, metal carbide tiles in a closely spaced arrangement and metal carbide powder filling voids between the tiles, wherein the wear layer bonded to the steel support is a product of a process comprising:

• arranging in a cavity formed between a mold and the surface of a support on which the wear layer will be formed, an array of tiles made of sintered metal carbide composite, wherein voids exist between each of the tiles in the array of tiles and immediately adjacent tiles, and between the each of the tiles in the array of tiles the mold and the surface of the support;
• filling the voids with metal carbide powder to form a matrix comprising the tiles and the spherical metal carbide powder;
• heating a brazing alloy to cause the brazing alloy to melt and infiltrate the matrix, heating comprising placing the mold containing the matrix, the support, and unmelted brazing alloy in an induction furnace and operating the induction furnace for a period of time sufficient to allow the brazing alloy to melt and uniformly infiltrate the matrix without damaging the tiles;
• allowing the matrix to cool, thereby forming a consolidation of the sintered metal carbide tiles and the spherical particles of metal carbide on the support, the consolidation comprising the wear surface;
• and
• removing the mold and finishing the wear surface.