Microstructure and Tribological Properties of Plasma-sprayed Nanostructured Sulfide Coating

The friction and wear properties of plasma-sprayed nanostructured FeS coating were investigated on an MHK-500 friction and wear tester under both oil lubrication and dry friction condition. The microstructure, worn surface morphology and phase composition of the coating were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and X-ray diffraction(XRD). It was found that the coating was mainly composed of FeS, a small quantity of Fe1-xS and oxide were also found. The coating was formed by small particles of 50～100 nm in size. The thickness of the coating is approximately 150μm. The friction-reduction and wear-resistance properties of plasma-sprayed nanostructured FeS coating were superior to that of GCr15 steel substrate.Especially under oil lubrication condition, the friction coefficient of nanostructured FeS coating was 50% of that of GCr15 steel, the wear scar widths of the coating were also reduced to nearly 50% of that of GCr15 steel under high load. The failure of the coating was mainly attributed to plastic deformation under both oil lubrication and dry friction condition.