Effect of laser power on microstructure and tribological performance of WC−10Co4Cr coating

In order to enhance wear resistance of cold work molds, WC−10Co4Cr coating was fabricated on Cr12MoV steel by laser cladding. The morphologies, chemical compositions, and phases of obtained coatings were analyzed using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy disperse spectroscopy, and X−ray diffraction, respectively. The effect of laser power on the tribological performance was analyzed using a ball−on−plate friction machine, and the wear mechanism was also discussed. The results show that the WC−10Co4Cr coating is composed of WC and Co₆W₆C phases, and the average hardness of coating cross−sections fabricated at the laser power of 1200, 1500, and 1800 W was 1296, 1375, and 1262 HV_0.5, respectively, in which that fabricated at the laser power of 1500 W is the highest among the three kinds of coatings. The average coefficients of friction of coatings fabricated at the laser power of 1200, 1500, and 1800 W are 0.61, 0.52, and 0.59, respectively; and the corresponding wear rates are 64.38, 35.38, and 123.92 μm³•N⁻¹•mm⁻¹, respectively, showing that the coating fabricated at the laser power of 1500 W has best friction reduction and wear resistance. The wear mechanism of WC−10Co4Cr coating is fatigue wear and abrasive wear, which is contributed to the increase of hard WC mass fraction.     

粘结剂对超音速火焰喷涂碳化钨涂层磨粒磨损性能的影响

采用超音速火焰喷涂(HVOF)工艺在35钢基体上制备了WC-10Ni涂层和WC-12Co涂层,研究了镍、钴这两种粘结剂对WC涂层的显微硬度、摩擦系数和抗磨粒磨损性能的影响,采用扫描电子显微镜观察涂层磨损前后的表面形貌,探讨了WC涂层的磨粒磨损机理。结果表明,以HVOF方法制备的2种WC涂层均有较高的显微硬度,WC-10Ni涂层和WC-12Co涂层与SiC砂纸摩擦副之间的干摩擦系数相差不大。2种涂层在低载荷下均有较好的抗磨粒磨损性能,但在较高载荷下WC-12Co涂层的抗磨性明显优于WC-10Ni涂层。2种涂层的磨粒磨损形式主要为均匀磨耗磨损,磨损机理以微切削和微剥落为主。WC-12Co涂层的磨损表面损伤较轻微,综合性能优于WC-10Ni涂层。     

Microstructure and Wear Behavior of Plasma‐Sprayed Nanostructured WC–Co Coatings

Atmospheric plasma spraying of WC–Co particles with standard gas mixtures (Ar–H₂) typically results in largely decarburized coatings with relatively low wear resistance. To fabricate cermet coatings with enhanced tribological properties, nanostructured WC–Co coatings were plasma sprayed using two different process gas mixtures. Phase composition and microstructure were investigated by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Microhardness increased by increasing the amount of retained WC grains in coating microstructure. Friction and wear properties, measured under dry sliding conditions, strongly depended on the degree of decarburization. They were comparable to those of conventional coatings produced using identical conditions.     

Influence of Y2O3 on the microstructure and tribological properties of Ti-based wear-resistant laser-clad layers on TC4 alloy

Multi-track Ti-based wear-resistant composite coatings were fabricated on TC4 alloy surfaces using laser-clad TC4 + Ni45 + Co–WC mixed powders with different Y₂O₃ contents (0, 1, and 3 wt%). The microstructure, microhardness, and tribological properties of the coatings were characterised using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, electron probe X-ray micro analyser, microhardness tester, and friction and wear testing apparatus. The results showed that the number of cracks on the coating surfaces gradually decreased with the addition of Y₂O₃ and that residual Co–WC powders existed in the coating subsurfaces. The phase composition of the coatings with different Y₂O₃ contents remained unchanged and was mainly composed of reinforcing phases of TiC, TiB₂, Ti₂Ni, and matrix α-Ti. With the addition of Y₂O₃, the coating microstructure was remarkably refined, the direction characteristic of the TiC dendrites obviously weakened, and the nucleation rate significantly increased. When the added Y₂O₃ was 3 wt%, a large amount of TiB₂–TiC-dependent growth composite phases precipitated in the coating. The two-dimensional lattice misfit between (0001)_TiB2 and (111)_TiC was 0.912%, which indicated that TiB₂ and TiC formed a coherent interface. When the amount of Y₂O₃ was increased, the microhardness of the coatings gradually decreased, and the wear volume of the coatings first increased and then decreased. Under the effect of the TiB₂–TiC composite phases, the wear resistance of the 3 wt% Y₂O₃ coating was optimal. The 3 wt% Y₂O₃ coating friction coefficient was the lowest, and the wear mechanism was abrasive wear.     

Wet abrasive wear behavior of WC-based cermet coatings prepared by HVOF spraying

In this study, three kinds of WC-based cermet coatings including WC–CoCr coating, WC–Ni coating and WC–Cr₃C₂–Ni coating were prepared by the high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) spraying process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS) and Vickers hardness tester were used to analyze the microstructure and mechanical properties of these coatings. The WC–CoCr coating presented the highest average microhardness of 1205 HV_0.3, and then followed by the WC–Cr₃C₂–Ni coating (1188 HV_0.3) and the WC–Ni coating (1105 HV_0.3). The abrasive wear behavior of the WC-based coatings under the conditions of different applied loads and sediment concentrations were studied by a wet sand-rubber wheel tester. The results indicated that the abrasive wear loss rates of all the coatings increased with the increment of applied load or sediment concentration. In addition, the coatings with higher microhardness appeared to have higher abrasive wear resistance. The abrasive wear resistance of the WC-based coatings was 4–90 times higher than that of AISI 304 stainless steel under the same testing condition. The abrasive wear mechanism of the WC-based coatings was deduced to be the extrusion and removal of binder phases, as well as the fragmentation and peel-off of hard phases.     

Growth and Microstructure‐Dependent Hardness of Directionally Solidified WC–W2C Eutectoid Ceramics

Directionally solidified WC–W₂C ceramics containing 40 at% carbon, corresponding to the WC–W₂C eutectoid composition, were produced by laser surface melt processing. The resulting microstructures showed a lamellar‐type eutectic/eutectoid microstructure with the WC minor phase embedded in the W₂C matrix phase. The interlamellar spacing (λ) in the eutectoid regions followed the relationship Vλ^3.8 = constant, with the smallest spacing of 331 ± 36 nm achieved in the 3.24 mm/s processed sample. The indentation hardness increased with decreasing interlamellar spacing, and a Vickers indentation hardness of 28.5 GPa was achieved in the sample with the smallest interlamellar spacing. The directionally solidified WC–W₂C materials show enhanced indentation mechanical properties in comparison to previously reported WC–Co composites and WC‐based materials.     

Tribological Characterization of WC–Co Plasma Sprayed Coatings

Atmospheric plasma spraying of WC coatings is typically characterized by increased decarburization, with a consequent reduction of their wear resistance. Indeed, high temperature and oxidizing atmosphere promote the appearance of brittle crystalline and amorphous phases. However, by using a high helium flow rate in a process gas mixture, plasma spraying may easily be optimized by increasing the velocity of sprayed particles and by reducing the degree of WC dissolution. To this purpose, a comparative study was performed at different spray conditions. Both WC–Co powder and coating phases were characterized by X-ray difraction. Their microstructure was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical, dry sliding friction, and wear tests were also performed. The wear resistance was highly related to both microstructural and mechanical properties. The experimental data confirmed that high-quality cermet coatings could be manufactured by using optimized Ar–He mixtures. Their enhanced hardness, toughness, and wear resistance resulted in coatings comparable to those sprayed by high velocity oxygen-fuel.     

Microstructure and properties of Ni-WC gradient composite coating prepared by laser cladding

In this study, an Ni-based gradient composite coating reinforced with WC was prepared on a Q345R steel substrate by laser cladding. The Ni-WC composite coating was designed as a multilayer structure with gradient composition. The coating started with a layer of C276 alloy with 10 wt% WC on the substrate, and the subsequent layers were composed of Ni60 alloy with different WC contents (10, 30, and 50 wt% WC). The overall morphology, phase composition, and microstructure of the coatings were investigated. The microhardness and the wear properties of each layer of the coatings were also evaluated. The results showed that the gradient composition design was beneficial for reducing the cracking tendency. The coating was composed of an Ni-based matrix, WC, and multiple carbides and borides hard phases. With increasing WC content in the layers, the hard phases exhibited regional distribution characteristics. The WC reinforcement particles underwent different types of dissolution during the cladding process. From the surface to the substrate, the average microhardness of the coating was 1053.5 HV_0.2, 963.4 HV_0.2, 859.0 HV_0.2, 441.7 HV_0.2, and 260.5 HV_0.2. The wear tests revealed that the coefficient of friction and the wear loss values of the four layers were all lower than those of the substrate, demonstrating enhanced wear resistance.     

Dry abrasion property of TiN-matrix coating deposited by reactive High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) spraying

A TiN-matrix coating with a thickness of about 400 μm was prepared by reactive high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spraying on carbon steel in air. The phase composition, microhardness, and antiabrasion properties of the coating were investigated using x-ray diffraction (XRD), an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a Vickers microhardness tester, and block-on-ring abrasive equipment. The abrasion mechanism of TiN-matrix coating under dry abrasion conditions was also discussed. The results indicate that the composition of the coating is main phases of TiN and TiN_0.3, minor phases of Ti₂O₃, and TiO₂. The TiN-matrix coating possesses high microhardness and relatively good toughness. Furthermore, the friction coefficient of the coating decreases with the increment of applied load. The interstratified distribution of titanium oxides can act as a solid lubricant during the wear test. The main abrasion mechanism of the TiN-matrix coating is adhesion wear. In addition, the coating with self-lubricating property can improve the antiwear property of the substrate significantly.     

cBN–TiC and WC–Co Composites: Optimization of Co‐Extruding Conditions

In this study, double‐layer tubes with inner‐layer cubic boron nitride–titanium carbide (cBN–TiC) and outer‐layer tungsten carbide–cobalt (WC–Co) were fabricated by co‐extrusion. The Taguchi method was used to determine the optimal parameters, including extrusion ratio, half‐die angle, extrusion speed, and binder amount. The double‐layer tube made using these optimal parameters had an inner‐layer hardness of 3825 Hv and an outer‐layer hardness of 1849 Hv. The porosity of the double‐layer tube was 10.4%. Furthermore, the crystalline structures obtained from the inner and outer layers were cBN, TiC, TiB₂, and BNi and WC and Co₂C phases.     

A comparative investigation on microstructure evolution and wear resistance of in situ synthesized NbC,WC, TaC reinforced Mo2FeB2 coatings by laser cladding

To improve the microhardness and wear resistance of Mo₂FeB₂ coatings, composite coatings were prepared by laser cladding using in situ synthesized NbC, WC, and TaC. The influence of different carbides on the morphology, microstructure, microhardness, residual stress, and tribological properties of the composite coatings was investigated. The results showed various microstructural morphologies in different composite coatings. Apparent herringbone structures were observed in most coatings except for the Mo₂FeB₂/TaC composite coating and a eutectic structure was formed in the Mo₂FeB₂/WC composite coating. In addition, the heat-affected zone was typically composed of acicular martensite and lath martensite. The microhardness of the Mo₂FeB₂/WC composite coating increased to 1543.6 HV_0.5 compared with 985.7 HV_0.5 observed for the Mo₂FeB₂ coating. Tensile stress existed in the coating, bonding zone, and heat-affected zone, whereas the substrate exhibited compressive stress. The Mo₂FeB₂/WC composite coating exhibited the lowest tensile stress (298 MPa). The Mo₂FeB₂/WC composite coating containing WC and the W₂C phase had the lowest coefficient of friction (0.38) and wear rate (3.90 × 10^?5 mm³/Nm), indicating its excellent tribological properties. Moreover, the wear mechanism of the Mo₂FeB₂ coating is severe adhesive and abrasive wear. The adhesive wear mechanism was mitigated by the formation of in situ synthesized NbC, WC, and TaC. The wear mechanism of the Mo₂FeB₂/WC composite coating was only a slight abrasive wear.     

Cracking induced tribological behavior changes for the HVOF WC-12Co cermet coatings

HVOF sprayed WC based cermet coatings have been widely used in industries as barriers against wear and hydrodynamic cavitation due to their high hardness and relatively high toughness. However, cracking of the coatings can occur during coating production or in service, which can reduce operational performances. It can be difficult to assess the performance impact due to cracks within the coating and as to whether the cracked coatings should be resprayed or removed from service. In this work, artificial cracks of different widths were introduced to liquid fuel HVOF sprayed WC-12Co coating through uniaxial tension of the coated steel substrate to assess the implications of such cracking. Tribological performances of the cracked coatings were examined using rubber wheel dry abrasion, ‘ball on disc’ sliding wear, and ultrasonic cavitation erosion. The results show that the crack deteriorates the abrasive wear resistance of the coating at the initial stage due to preferable mass loss at the cracks. However, after 30?min of abrasion, all the cracked coatings showed the same wear rate as compared to the non-cracked coating, with the abrasive wear resistance acting independent to the crack characteristics. Because the cracks could store wear debris and thus minimize the debris induced abrasion to the coating surface during sliding wear test, both improvement in wear resistance and reduction in coefficient of friction (COF) were detected in the cracked coatings. During the cavitation test, it was found that the mass loss of the specimen increased significantly (up to 75%)with crack width and density suggesting that the crack presence greatly deteriorated the cavitation resistance of the cermet coatings.     

Utilizing the autocatalysis of Co to prepare low-cost WC-Co powder for high-performance atmospheric plasma spraying

A novel method of incorporating fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition (FBCVD) with electroless plating was developed to effectively prepare the core-shell structured WC-Co composite powders. The Co nanoparticles decorated on the surface of WC particles by FBCVD acted as active catalysts for the subsequent electroless plating process. The particle size and quantity of the decorated Co particles determined the electroless plating rate but the particle size played more important role. For the conditions tested, the maximum electroless plating rate of 2.34 mg/g/min was obtained by using an optimal FBCVD pretreatment at 750°C for 3 minutes. WC-12Co composite powders with a commercial composition widely used for atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) were efficiently prepared. The composite powders exhibited excellent suitability for APS by forming a homogenous Co-W-C ternary liquid stream. The APS coating is not only well-bonded with the substrate but also consisted of hard nonequilibrium Co₃W₃C and W₂C phases with a uniform distribution. Both remarkably improved the hardness and tribological properties of the APS coating.     

Nanocrystalline diamond coatings on the interior of WC–Co dies for drawing carbon steel tubes: Enhancement of tube properties

Tungsten carbide (WC–Co) dies are commercially used for the tube drawing process. However they wear out progressively and are unable to meet the high demands required by the industry. In this study, the effect of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) coatings on the interior of WC–Co drawing dies using a hot filament chemical vapour deposition technique is reported. A field trial was conducted on the production line for drawing AISI 1541 steel tubes to investigate the quality of the drawn tubes. The surface roughness of the tubes drawn through the NCD coated die was lower (R_a = 381 nm) when compared to the tubes drawn through a regular carbide die (R_a = 527 nm). The average residual stress of tubes drawn through the NCD coated drawing die was lowered by 25%. A pin-on-disc sliding wear test, carried out to estimate the coefficient of friction, showed that the coefficient of friction in the case of the NCD coated die was almost half that of the regular WC–Co dies. The excellent thermal conductivity and lower friction coefficient of NCD coatings also helped to decrease the working temperature of the tube drawing process, thereby resulting in a superior product.     

Microstructural Properties of Air Plasma Sprayed Coating Consisting of Tungsten Carbide and Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia

Thermal Spraying technologies are proven to be capable of producing composite materials and structures. In the present work, an innovative composite coating was produced to achieve high wear and thermal resistant properties in a single‐step process using air plasma spraying (APS) technique. Tungsten carbide has shown high wear resistance and zirconia coatings exhibited excellent tribological and insulation properties. It is speculated that a composite material consisting of zirconia and tungsten carbide exhibits excellent thermomechanical properties. A powder mixture of 50wt% WC‐10wt% Ni (WC‐Ni) and 50wt% ZrO₂‐8wt% Y₂O₃ (YPSZ) was deposited on a low carbon steel substrate using APS technique. Important microstructural properties of WC‐Ni/YPSZ coating such as splat boundaries, pore and grain morphology, microcracks, phase composition, elemental distribution of coatings, and lattice parameters of the crystals were investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray (EDS), and X‐ray diffractometry (XRD). A good adhesion was observed between different phases in tungsten carbide mixed with zirconia coatings. Decarburization process which occurred during APS process resulted in formation of tungsten hemi‐carbide (W₂C) phase in plasma sprayed samples. The calculated crystal size for APS‐deposited coating was smaller than those of feedstock powder.     

Fretting wear and electrochemical corrosion of well-adhered CVD diamond films deposited on steel substrates with a WC–Co interlayer

Diamond films have been grown on carbon steel substrates by hot-filament chemical vapour deposition methods. A Co-containing tungsten-carbide (WC–Co) coating prepared by high velocity oxy-fuel spraying was used as an intermediate layer on the steel substrates to minimize the early formation of graphite (and thus growth of low quality diamond films) and to enhance the diamond film adhesion. The effects of the WC–Co interlayer on nucleation, quality, adhesion, tribological behaviour and electrochemical corrosion of the diamond film were investigated. The diamond films exhibit excellent adhesion under Rockwell indentation testing (1500 N load) and when subjected to high-speed, high-load, long-time reciprocating dry sliding ball-on-flat wear tests against a Si₃N₄ counterface in ambient air (500 rpm, 200 N, 300,000 cycles). A WC–Co interlayer with appropriate chemical pretreatment is shown to play an important role in improving the nucleation, quality and adhesion of the diamond film, relative to that shown by substrates without such pretreatment.     

Pressureless sintering and tribological properties of WC–ZrO2 composites

In a recent work [Basu, B., Lee, J. H. and Kim, D. Y., Development of WC-ZrO₂ nanocomposites by spark plasma sintering. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 2004 87(2), 317–319], the processing of ultrahard WC–ZrO₂ nanocomposites using spark plasma sintering is reported. In the present work, we investigate the processing and properties of WC–6 wt.% ZrO₂ composites, densified by pressureless sintering route. The densification of the WC–ZrO₂ composites was performed in the temperature range of 1500–1700 °C with varying time (1–3 h) in vacuum. The experimental results indicate that significantly high hardness of 22–23 GPa and moderate fracture toughness of ∼5 MPa m^1/2 can be obtained with 2 mol% Y–stabilized ZrO₂ sinter-additive, sintered at 1600 °C for 3 h. Furthermore, the friction and wear behavior of optimized WC–ZrO₂ composite is investigated on a fretting mode I wear tester. The tribological results reveal that a moderate coefficient of friction in the range from 0.15 to 0.5 can be achieved with the optimised composite. A transition in friction and wear with load is noted. The dominant mechanisms of material removal are tribochemical wear and spalling of tribolayer.     

High speed continuous and interrupted dry turning of A390 Aluminum/Silicon Alloy using nanostructured diamond coated WC–6 wt.% cobalt tool inserts by MPCVD

Nanostructured diamond films were grown to a thickness of approximately 35 µm by a 30 kW, 915 MHz, microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) on chemically treated WC–6 wt.% Co tool inserts. Rockwell indentation tests were performed to evaluate the adhesion of the films and compared to that of traditional microcrystalline diamond. A series of high speed dry turning tests on high-silicon (18 wt.% Si) aluminum alloy A390 under continuous and interrupted modes were performed and comparisons were carried out to investigate the wear behavior on tool inserts that were uncoated, coated with nanostructured diamond, and commercial PCD (polycrystalline diamond cutter) ones. The tests showed that nanostructured diamond coatings demonstrated excellent durability against the highly abrasive A390 aluminum–silicon alloys in high speed dry turning. Ultra fine grain structure of this coating produces workpiece surface finish comparable or even better than PCD tools in the range we studied. Excellent coating adhesion of nanostructured diamond on WC–6% Co substrates leads to reliable wear behavior. For the first time, we evaluated the performance of nanostructured diamond film coated insert under high speed interrupted turning mode. A “self-cleaning” mechanism was observed which can significantly improve the performance of nanostructured diamond films. Micro-Raman spectra were taken on tested tools to study the wear mechanism of the coating.     

TiC/Ti3AlC2–Co plasma-sprayed coatings with excellent high-temperature tribological properties

In this work, TiC/Ti₃AlC₂–Co cermet coatings with varying amounts of Ti₃AlC₂ were deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) process and their wear-resistant properties were discussed. The friction coefficients and wear rates at high-temperatures were measured through a ball-on-disk type friction test at 600 °C. In addition, the corresponding wear mechanisms were elucidated through the observation of phase changes and surface microstructural evolution of the coatings. The results indicated that the as-prepared coatings consisted of TiC, Ti, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, Co and CoO phases, which were produced by the decomposition and oxidation of TiC and Ti₃AlC₂. Compared with other samples, the sample with 30 wt% Ti₃AlC₂ addition displayed the smallest friction coefficient and least wear rate. Its wear rate was about 1.26 times lower than that of reported TiC–Co cermet material and about 10 times lower than that of the typically used TiC–Ni cermet material, suggesting outstanding wear resistance at elevated temperature. The addition of Ti₃AlC₂ reduced the friction coefficient of the coating by producing more TiC and Al₂O₃ hard phases and a consequent reduction of coating porosity. When the amount of Ti₃AlC₂ in the coating was less than 30 wt%, the main wear mechanism was abrasive wear. As the content of Ti₃AlC₂ was increased in the coating, the wear mechanism changed from abrasive wear to adhesive wear and the wear pattern of the coating gradually transformed from the furrows to the debris. This transformation of mechanism was related to the synergistic effect of hardness and porosity of the coating, which resulted from the remaining content and the special layered structure of Ti₃AlC₂.     

Friction behavior of PTFE-coated Si3N4/TiC ceramics fabricated by spray technique under dry friction

PTFE coatings were deposited on the Si₃N₄/TiC ceramic substrate by using spray technology. The surface and cross-section micrographs, adhesive force of coatings with substrate, surface roughness and micro-hardness of the coated ceramics were examined. The friction and wear behaviors of ceramic samples with and without coatings were investigated through carrying out dry sliding friction tests against WC/Co ball. The test results indicated that the coated ceramics exhibited rougher surface and lower micro-hardness, and the PTFE coatings can significantly reduce the surface friction and adhesive wear of ceramics. The friction performance of PTFE-coated sample was affected by applied load due to the lower surface hardness and shear strength of coatings, and the main wear failure mechanisms were abrasion wear, coating delamination and flaking. It can be considered that deposition of PTFE coatings is a promising approach to improve the friction and wear behavior of ceramic substrate.