Study of the influence of microstructural properties on the sliding-wear behavior of HVOF and HVAF sprayed WC-cermet coatings

The microstructural properties of WC-Co-Cr and WC-Co coatings deposited by high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) and high-velocity air fuel (HVAF) processes were investigated. The tribological behavior of the coatings was studied by means of pin-on-disk tests. Microcracking of the HVOF sprayed WC-Co coatings did not allow preparation of suitable disks for wear tests. The wear rates of the remaining coatings were determined, and wear tracks on the coatings and counterbodies were investigated by SEM. The HVAF sprayed coatings showed greater sliding-wear resistance compared to the HVOF coatings. The prime wear mechanism in the WC-Co HVAF coatings was adhesive wear. The cobalt matrix is lubricious, resulting in very low wear rates and low debris generation. The main wear mechanisms in the WC-Co-Cr coatings were adhesive and abrasive wear. Adhesive wear results in coating material dislodgments (i.e., “pullouts”) that become trapped in the contact zone and act as a third-body abrasive. Particle pullout from the coating significantly increases the wear rate of the coated specimen. The HVAF/WC-Co-Cr coatings exhibited better resistance to particle pullout, resulting in a considerably lower wear rate than the HVOF/WC-Co-Cr coatings.     

Computational analysis of a three-dimensional high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spray torch

An analysis of a high-velocity oxygen fuel thermal spray torch is presented using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Three-dimensional CFD results are presented for a curved aircap used for coating interior surfaces such as engine cylinder bores. The device analyzed is similar to the Metco diamond jet rotating wire torch, but wire feed is not simulated. The feed gases are injected through an axisymmetric nozzle into the curved aircap. Argon is injected through the center of the nozzle. Premixed propylene and oxygen are introduced from an annulus in the nozzle, while cooling air is injected between the nozzle and the interior wall of the aircap. The combustion process is modeled assuming instantaneous chemistry. A standard, two-equation, k-ε turbulence model is employed for the turbulent flow field. An implicit, iterative, finite volume numerical technique is used to solve the coupled conservation of mass, momentum, and energy equations for the gas in a sequential manner. Computed flow fields inside and outside the aircap are presented and discussed.     

Oxidation in wire HVOF-sprayed steel

It is widely held that most oxidation in thermally sprayed coatings occurs on the surface of the droplet after it has flattened. Evidence in this paper suggests that, for the conditions studied here, oxidation of the top surface of flattened droplets is not the dominant oxidation mechanism. In this study, a mild steel wire (AISI 1025) was sprayed using a high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) torch onto copper and aluminum substrates. Ion milling and Auger spectroscopy were used to examine the distribution of oxides within individual splats. Conventional metallographic analysis was also used to study oxide distributions within coatings that were sprayed under the same conditions. An analytical model for oxidation of the exposed surface of a splat is presented. Based on literature data, the model assumes that diffusion of iron through a solid FeO layer is the rate limiting factor in forming the oxide on the top surface of a splat. An FeO layer only a few nanometers thick is predicted to form on the splat surface as it cools. However, experimental evidence shows that the oxide layers are typically 100× thicker than the predicted value. These thick oxide layers are not always observed on the top surface of a splat. Indeed, in some instances the oxide layer is on the bottom, and the metal is on the top. The observed oxide distributions are more consistently explained if most of the oxide forms before the droplets impact the substrate.     

Improving corrosion properties of high-velocity oxy-fuel sprayed inconel 625 by using a high-power continuous wave neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser

Thermal spray processes are widely used to protect materials and components against wear, corrosion and oxidation. Despite the use of the latest developments of thermal spraying, such as high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) and plasma spraying, these coatings may in certain service conditions show inadequate performance,e.g., due to insufficient bond strength and/or mechanical properties and corrosion resistance inferior to those of corresponding bulk materials. The main cause for a low bond strength in thermalsprayed coatings is the low process temperature, which results only in mechanical bonding. Mechanical and corrosion properties typically inferior to wrought materials are caused by the chemical and structural inhomogeneity of the thermal-sprayed coating material. To overcome the drawbacks of sprayed structures and to markedly improve the coating properties, laser remelting of sprayed coatings was studied in the present work. The coating material was nickel-based superalloy Inconel 625, which contains chromium and molybdenum as the main alloying agents. The coating was prepared by HVOF spraying onto mild steel substrates. High-power continuous wave Nd:YAG laser equipped with large beam optics was used to remelt the HVOF sprayed coating using different levels of power and scanning speed. The coatings as-sprayed and after laser remelting were characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Laser remelting resulted in homogenization of the sprayed structure. This strongly improved the performance of the laser-remelted coatings in adhesion, wet corrosion, and high-temperature oxidation testing. The properties of the laser-remelted coatings were compared directly with the properties of as-sprayed HVOF coatings and with plasma-transferred arc (PTA) overlay coatings and wrought Inconel 625 alloy.     

Oxidation of stainless steel in the high velocity oxy-fuel process

The high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray process has been primarily used for the application of wear-resistant coatings and, with the introduction of new, more powerful systems, is being increasingly considered for producing corrosion-resistant coatings. In this study, the influence of various spray parameters for the JP-5000 and Diamond Jet (DJ) Hybrid systems on the oxidation of stainless steel 316L is characterized. Experimental results reveal that coating oxygen contents of less than 1 wt.% can be more easily attained with the JP-5000 than the DJ Hybrid systems because of the former’s design. In both cases, however, the low particle temperatures necessary for low oxygen content coatings may impair bond and cohesive strength. Heat treating the coatings after processing reduces hardness, metallurgically enhances bond strength, and enables the spheroidization of oxide layers surrounding unmelted particles. An empirical model describing oxidation in the thermal spray process was expanded to explain the oxidation in the HVOF spraying of stainless steel. It was concluded that for these oxygen-sensitive materials, maintaining a relatively low particle temperature throughout the spray process minimizes oxygen pickup by preventing an autocatalytic oxidation process and particle fragmentation upon impact. For the DJ Hybrid systems, understoichiometric fuel settings are selected, whereas for the JP-5000, oxygen-rich mixtures are preferred.     

High-velocity oxyfuel thermal spray coatings for biomedical applications

Plasma spraying is used to produce most commercially available bioceramic coatings for dental implants; however, these coatings still contain some inadequacies. Two types of coatings produced by the high- velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) combustion spray process using commercially available hydroxyapatite (HA) and fluorapatite (FA) powders sprayed onto titanium were characterized to determine whether this relatively new coating process can be applied to bioceramic coatings. Diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, x- ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the composition, microstructure, and morphology of the coatings. The XRD and FTIR techniques revealed an apatitic structure for both HA and FA coatings. However, XRD patterns indicated some loss in crystallinity of the coatings due to the spraying process. Results from FTIR showed a loss in the intensity of the OH^∼ and F^∼ groups due to HVOF spraying; the phosphate groups, however, were still present. Analysis by SEM showed a coating morphology similar to that obtained with plasma spraying, with complete coverage of the titanium substrate. Interfacial SEM studies revealed an excellent coating-to-substrate apposition. These results indicate that with further optimization the HVOF thermal spray process may offer another method for producing bioceramic coatings.     

Thermal-sprayed Fe-10CM3P-7C amorphous coatings possessing excellent corrosion resistance

An alloy of Fe-10Cr-13P-7C was thermally sprayed by three different processes: (1) 80 kW low-pressure plasma spraying (LPPS), (2) high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) spraying, and (3) 250 kW high-energy plasma spraying (HPS). The as-sprayed coating obtained by the LPPS process was composed of an amorphous phase. In contrast, the as-sprayed coatings obtained by the HVOF and HPS processes were a mixture of amorphous and crystalline phases. The as-sprayed coatings showed a high hardness of 700 DPN. A very fine structure composed of ferrite, carbide, and phosphide was formed, producing a maximum hardness of greater than 1000 DPN in the LPPS coating just after crystallization on tempering. The corrosion re-sistance of the amorphous coating was superior to a SUS316L stainless steel coating in 1N H₂SO₄ solution and 1N HC1 solution. Furthermore, the amorphous coating underwent neither general nor pitting corro sion in1NUCI solution and 6% FeCl₃ 6H₂O solution containing 0.05N HCl, whereas the SUS316L stain less steel coating was attacked aggressively.     

On the gas dynamics of HVOF thermal sprays

An experimental study of the gas-dynamic aspects of the high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) thermal spray process has been performed using commercially available HVOF equipment (Hobart-Tafa JP-5000, Ho-bart-Tafa Technologies, Inc., Concord, NH). Optical diagnostic techniques, including microsecond-expo-sure schlieren and shadowgraph imaging, were applied to visualize the hot supersonic jet produced by this equipment without particle injection. Rapid turbulent mixing of the jet with the surrounding atmos-phere was observed, which is an issue of concern in coating quality due to the possibility of oxidation of sprayed particles. This mixing appears to be a function of the ratio of densities of the hot jet and the cold atmosphere as well as a function of the velocity of the jet, rather than one of combustion-chamber pres-sure or barrel length. The supersonic core of the HVOF jet dissipates rapidly due to the mixing, so that the jet is no longer supersonic when it impinges on the target surface being sprayed. Secondary issues also observed in this study include strong jet-noise radiation from the HVOF plume and the entrainment and induced bulk motion of the surrounding air.     

超音速喷涂纳米WC复合涂层与电镀铬层的组织及性能

采用超音速火焰喷涂(HVOF)技术和电镀技术分别制备了纳米WC-10Co-4Cr涂层及电镀铬层,通过扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、显微硬度计、摩擦磨损试验机、电化学工作站、磨损腐蚀加速试验机等手段对比分析了这两种涂层的性能以及使用寿命。结果表明,纳米WC复合涂层具有远高于电镀铬层的显微硬度、耐磨损性能及结合强度等,并且该涂层具有较高的致密度,而耐腐蚀性能略低于电镀铬层但也远高于基材,磨损腐蚀加速试验结果显示该涂层的使用寿命高达电镀铬层的5倍以上。     

超音速火焰喷涂WC-17Co涂层氧化行为研究

WC-17Co涂层由于其优异的耐磨性能，被广泛用于工件的摩擦防护，但其在较高温度下服役存在过早氧化失效的问题。采用超音速火焰喷涂在45#钢表面制备WC-17Co致密涂层，将其置于400、500、600和700 ℃的温度下进行恒温热暴露，研究超温服役氧化行为对其结构及性能的影响。采用X射线衍射、扫描电镜和显微硬度计等手段表征喷涂态及不同氧化温度下涂层的物相和微观结构的演变，对其物相和性能变化进行讨论。研究结果表明：喷涂过程中WC的分解及过冷使喷涂态WC-17Co涂层形成少量的Co基非晶；400 ℃热暴露后，涂层物相和结构无明显变化，当热暴露温度提高到500 ℃以上时，涂层表面CoWO₄、WO₃和Co₃O₄等氧化相开始生成，在700 ℃氧化处理2 h后，氧化物生长层增厚到10 μm；氧化促使涂层内部的Co元素向表面扩散，导致涂层内部WC硬质相的浓度提高，故内部涂层的显微硬度也大幅提高，在距离表面50 μm深度涂层显微硬度增加到1400 HV_0.3以上；表层显微硬度升高则主要是由于氧化相的生成。高温氧化后，由于Co粘结相的减少使涂层断裂韧性降低，涂层在高速摩擦环境下，疏松的氧化物层易粉化失效，故WC-17Co涂层的服役温度应保持在500 ℃以下。