Carbide former

Carbide formers are alloying elements like chromium, vanadium, or tungsten that bind carbon. The resulting carbides make the structure hard and wear-resistant, but also more brittle. When welding, that means: if you have too much of them in the material or cool incorrectly, you get a hard, crack-prone structure. So you have to control the cooling, otherwise the weld or the heat-affected zone will crack. These alloys are top for wear surfaces, but you need to know what you're welding and how the base material reacts.