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Material of construction for large saws inside water sprays

I am currently selecting materials for an extremely harsh environment. We have two large saws that are used to cut structural shapes (I-beams and channels) on a production line. The blades are contained in a large protective cover/hood and the environment inside consists of high pressure water sprays and flying sparks/curls (debris from the cut).

The result is a high degree of pitting and build up of swerf. The plate is virtually eaten away in areas of direct contact and the areas that build up consist of a conglomeration of sparks that stick together as if they were "spot welded."

The current material used is 1020 steel plate. What I am considering is using a stainless steel or a abrasion resistant steel to combat the pitting by increasing the hardness in these areas over the present materials. What I became interested in is looking for a coating that would hold up in such an environment and protect the surface from the pitting and resist the tendency of the sparks to "spot weld" themselves to the inside of the door.

Any comments on mat'l and/or coating selections is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Steven Hughes
Chaparral Steel

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