Identification of delamination failure of boride layer on common Cr-based steels

Adhesion is an important aspect in the reliability of coated components. With low-adhesion of interfaces, different crack paths may develop depending on the local stress field at the interface and the fracture toughness of the coating, substrate, and interface. In the current study, an attempt has been made to identify the delamination failure of coated Cr-based steels by boronizing. For this reason, two commonly used steels (AISI H13, AISI 304) are considered. The steels contain 5.3 and 18.3 wt.% Cr, respectively. Boriding treatment is carried out in a slurry salt bath consisting of borax, boric acid, and ferrosilicon at a temperature range of 800–950 °C for 3, 5, and 7 h. The general properties of the boron coating are obtained by mechanical and metallographic characterization tests. For identification of coating layer failure, some fracture toughness tests and the Daimler-Benz Rockwell-C adhesion test are used.     

WC晶体结构特征对HVOF喷涂纳米结构WC-CoCr涂层组织及性能的影响

为提高纳米结构WC-CoCr涂层的综合力学性能,采用超音速火焰喷涂（HVOF）工艺制备纳米结构和超细结构WC-CoCr涂层。探讨了不同晶体特征的WC粉末对颗粒飞行和沉积变形过程的脱碳行为、涂层微观组织及力学性能的影响。结果表明：含有高密度位错的超细WC粉末在喷涂过程中发生了严重的氧化脱碳,形成了大量的W₂C相,涂层孔隙率较大,断裂韧性显著降低。而含有显著孪晶的纳米WC颗粒具有抑制WC脱碳和增强涂层断裂韧性的作用,纳米结构涂层呈现低脱碳率、高致密性、高硬度和高断裂韧性的优良综合性能。     

Effect of Mo addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ultra-fine grade TiC–TiN–WC–Mo2C–Co cermets

Effect of Mo addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ultra-fine grade TiC–TiN–WC–Mo₂C–Co cermets was studied in this work. Mechanical properties such as transverse rupture strength, fracture toughness and hardness were also measured. Results show that the microstructure exists in black core/grey rim structure and white core/grey rim structure, and the microstructure has an obvious trend to become finer with the increase of molybdenum content. When the added Mo exceeds 10%, ultra-fine TiC-based cermet with an average particle size of less than 0.5 μm is obtained, because of the formation of a Mo-rich rim and the improvement of the wettability between ceramic phase and metallic phase. The transverse rupture strength increases with the increase of Mo content, and the maximum values of the hardness and the fracture toughness were found with 10 wt% and 5 wt% Mo addition, respectively.     

Microstructure and Wear Resistance Evolution of HVOFSprayed WC-（W,Cr）2C-Ni Coating with Post Heat Treatment In Air Atmosphere

WC-(W,Cr)2C-Ni coating was prepared on 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel and C-276 Ni-base Hastelloy by high velocity oxy-fuel(HVOF)spraying.The effect of post heat treatment in air atmosphere on the microstructure,phase composition,microhardness,fracture toughness,and wear resistance of HVOF-sprayed WC-(W,Cr)2C-Ni coating was investigated.The microstructure and phase composition of the coatings were analyzed by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM)and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The microhardness and fracture toughness of the coatings were measured using a microhardness tester and a Vickers hardness tester.Moreover,dry friction and wear behavior of the coatings sliding against Si3N4 ball was investigated using an oscillating friction and wear tester;and the worn surfaces of the coatings were analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy(SEM).It was found that heat treatment within 500-800°C resulted in crystallization of amorphous phase in as-sprayed coating,generating nanoscale new phases such as NiWO4,CrWO4 and Cr2WO6.Besides,heat treatment led to increase of the microhardness of as-sprayed coating,and the highest microhardness was obtained after heat treatment at 800°C.The fracture toughness and wear resistance of the as-sprayed coating increased with increasing heat treatment temperature up to 700°C but tended to decrease with further elevating temperature.In other words,the mechanical properties and wear resistance of the as-sprayed coatings were worsened owing to excessive growth of oxidation grains and depletion of ductile Ni binder after heat treatment above 700°C.Thus it was suggested that as-sprayed ceramic composite coating should be post heat treated in air at a moderate temperature of 700°C so as to achieve the optimized mechanical properties and wear resistance.     

Single- and Two-Layer Coatings of Metal Blends onto Carbon Steel: Mechanical, Wear, and Friction Characterizations

Single- and two-layer coatings were deposited onto carbon steel using a high-velocity oxy-fuel deposition gun. The two-layer coating consisted of a top layer of tungsten carbide cobalt/nickel alloy blend that provides wear resistance and a bottom layer of iron/molybdenum blend that provides corrosion resistance. The morphological changes in the single- and two-layer coatings were examined using scanning electron microscopy. The residual stresses formed on the surface of various coatings were determined from x-ray diffraction data. Nanomechanical properties were measured using the nanoindentation technique. Microhardness and fracture toughness were measured incorporating the microindentation tests. Macrowear and macrofriction characteristics were measured using the pin-on-disk testing apparatus. The goal of this study was to ensure that the mechanical properties, friction, and wear resistance of the two-layer coating are similar to that of the single-layer coating.     

Evaluation of HVOF-sprayed WC-Co coatings for wood machining

A great concern to save the amount of tungsten carbide used in various mechanical components has become important because of an increase of global demand and the resultant sharp rise in the price in recent years. Sintered tungsten carbide (WC) tools are usually used in woodworking industry because of their excellent combination of hardness and toughness. However, the actual area necessary for cutting is very small compared to the overall cutting tool body. In this work, three high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) sprayed WC-Co coatings with different carbide size (0.2, 2, and 6 µm) on high speed tool steel substrates were fabricated and then grinded to produce cutting tools. Characterization of the deposited coating was done by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, hardness and indentation fracture toughness tests. The wood machining tests were performed on natural wood (Apitong) and medium density fiberboard (MDF) to study their performance as a cutting tool. The results showed that the hardness values of the coatings were approximately the same as that of sintered material, while the fracture toughness values were significantly lower. The wood machining tests on Apitong revealed that the coating tools were worn by the same level of edge recession as the sintered material. However, they showed numerous edge chippings over the worn surfaces and the level of edge chipping tended to increase with reducing the carbide size. The wood machining tests on MDF revealed that the coating tools were worn by the same level of edge recession in the low density wear zone as the sintered material but by a significantly higher level in the high density wear zone.     

Analysis of the Mechanical Properties of an Arc Sprayed WC-FeCSiMn Coating: Compression, Bending, and Tension Behavior

This paper is concerned with the elastic and plastic forming behavior of arc sprayed WC-FeCSiMn coatings. The mechanical properties were investigated by indentation, bending, and tensile tests. These were performed on coated mild steel substrates as well as spark eroded and ground freestanding coatings with different geometries. The results of the indentation, bending, and tensile tests were evaluated concerning the coating microstructure, element, and pore distribution, as well as the local microhardness. The critical role of pores and inhomogeneities within the sprayed coating was examined in detail. Micro- and macrocracking were investigated by scanning electron microscopy after the indentation and tensile tests. It was figured out that the WC-FeCSiMn coating featured a distinctive brittle behavior. During the bending and tension tests, brittle forced fracture of the layer appeared almost without plastic deformations. A significant difference was determined between the compression and tensile performance of the coating. For instance, the Young??s modulus for compression strains was measured to be approximately 60% higher than the tension case.     

Characterization of Fracture and Fatigue Behavior of 7050 Aluminum Alloy Ultra-thick Plate

The microstructure, mechanical property, fracture toughness, and fatigue behavior of 7050 aluminum alloy pre-stretched ultra-thick plate were investigated by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, tensile test, fracture toughness test, and high-cycle fatigue test. The results showed that the microstructure of the ultra-thick plate consisted of recrystallized grains, subgrains, constituent particles, precipitated phases, and precipitate-free zone. Mechanical tests indicated that anisotropy of fracture toughness existed in L-T, T-L, and S-T orientation. Fractographic features suggested that this anisotropy was significant due to the difference of recrystallized grain on different metallographic planes. Compared to 7050 aluminum alloy plate in less thickness, the ultra-thick plate showed deterioration on fracture toughness due to the increase of recrystallized grains but improvement on fatigue property ascribed to the less densely populated particles. Fractographic observations showed that fatigue initiation of this ultra-thick plate was primarily related to the constituent particles and promoted by increase of the stress amplitude.     

Microstructure design and mechanical properties of thermal barrier coatings with layered top and bond coats

The microstructure of layered thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with three coating layers in the bond and top coats, respectively, prepared using a specialized coating system (TriplexPro™-200), was controlled and its mechanical properties were investigated, which were then compared with the common TBCs with a single layer in each coat. The bond and top coats were coated with 100 and 200 μm for each feedstock, resulting in 300 and 600 μm thicknesses in the bond and top coats, respectively. The microstructure of the top coat could be controlled by changing the feedstock and using a multiple hopper system—dense/intermediate/porous layers from surface to interface or reverse microstructure. In the case of the bond coat, a compositional gradient was achieved. The adhesive strength values of the top coats were strongly dependent on the microstructure, whereas the values for the bond coat were similar. The hardness and toughness values gradually changed from surface to interface, indicating that the mechanical properties corresponded well with the microstructure of the TBCs. The indentation stress-strain curves of both TBCs with the layered structure were located between the curves for TBCs with the single structure of relatively dense and porous microstructures. Damage on the surface and subsurface was strongly affected by the microstructure of the top coat, showing a similar trend with the stress-strain behavior. This evidence allowed us to propose an efficient coating in protecting the substrate from mechanical environments.     

Thermal cycling behavior and interfacial stability in thick thermal barrier coatings

The thermal cycling behavior of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), which were prepared by two different air-plasma spray (APS) guns of 9 MB and TriplexPro™-200, was investigated to understand the effects of the microstructure on the interfacial stability and fracture behavior of TBCs. The porosities of the top coats could be controlled by changing the gun, showing porosity of about 15% using the 9 MB and 19% using the TriplexPro™-200, which decreased slightly with thermal exposure. Defects, such as interlamellar cracks, vertical cracks, and intrasplat cracks, were freshly produced in both TBCs after thermal exposure, showing delamination in the case of 2000 μm TBCs prepared using the TriplexPro™-200. The adhesive strength values of TBCs with 600 and 2000 μm thicknesses were about 8 and 6 MPa, respectively, indicating that the adhesive strength values of TBCs were affected by the coating thickness, independent of the gun. The hardness values increased after thermal exposure, and the TBCs prepared using the TriplexPro™-200 showed higher values than those prepared using the 9 MB for both thicknesses. The toughness values were not dependent on the gun, only showing an effect from coating thickness. The increase in coating thickness enhanced the densification, resulting in higher hardness and toughness values, and the microstructure could be controlled by changing the gun.     

Effects of Rare Earth Elements on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of HVOF-Sprayed WC-Co Coatings

Rare earth has been widely used in materials manufacturing to improve hardness and toughness. In this paper, conventional, nanostructured, and rare earth CeO₂-doped WC-12Co powders were sprayed by using HVOF spraying technology. Microstructure, hardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness of the three coatings were investigated. The results showed that nanostructured WC-12Co coatings possessed the densest microstructure and excellent combination of strength and toughness. The WC particles with the size ranging from 50 to 500 nm distributed uniformly in the nanostructured WC-12Co coating. The average free path of Co matrix in rare earth-doped WC-12Co coating was shorter than that of conventional WC-12Co coating. XRD results showed no obvious decarburization in all three coatings. The addition of rare earth could improve the mechanical properties of the coating compared with that without rare earth. The hardness value of nanostructured WC-12Co coating (12.2 GPa) was similar to that of rare earth-doped WC-12Co coating (12.2 GPa), which was 15.1% higher than that of conventional WC-12Co coating. The elastic modulus and fracture toughness of nanostructured WC-12Co coating were the highest, and that of conventional WC-12Co coating was the lowest.     

Influence of carbide grain size and crystal characteristics on the microstructure and mechanical properties of HVOF-sprayed WC-CoCr coatings

Nanostructured WC-CoCr coatings play a significant role in industrial sectors including petrochemical and aerospace fields. However, their fracture toughness requirements still need to be further improved because of more decarburization of conventional nano scale WC grains. In the study, three representative types of WC-CoCr powders were selected to illustrate the dependence of the microstructure and mechanical properties of HVOF-sprayed coatings on the carbide grain size and their crystal characteristics in the starting powders. It is demonstrated that the ultrafine powder causes excessive decomposition of the WC phase to W₂C phase when compared to submicrostructured and nanostructured powders, owing to the WC grains with a higher density dislocation. The present study implies the critical role of apparent twin characteristics within WC grains in enhancing the microhardness and fracture toughness of the nanostructured coating. The coating deposited with nanostructured powders exhibits the best comprehensive properties, which include low decarburization, superior microhardness and fracture toughness.     

Determination of Vickers indentation fracture toughness of boronised alloyed ductile iron

In the present study, copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and molybdenum (Mo)-alloyed ductile iron was pack boronised at 800–850°C for 3–6?h and subsequently the microhardness and the microstructures of boride layers under different process parameters were investigated in detail. Further, Vickers indentation fracture toughness tests were executed on borided surfaces under 200?g load. The fracture toughness of borided layers was estimated separately by a series of equations and the half-length of corner cracks and the half diagonals of Vickers indents were used as variables. Generally, the values of the obtained fracture toughness were found to be higher than those of previous studies. It was found that thinner boride layers were formed at lower boronising temperatures. The highest toughness value and the thickest boride layer were obtained in the sample boronised at 850°C for 6?h.     

A study on powder mixing for high fracture toughness and wear resistance of WC-Co-Cr coatings sprayed by HVOF

The effects of mixing powders with various particle sizes on the fracture toughness and wear resistance of thermally sprayed WC-10Co-4Cr coating layers fabricated by the HVOF (High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel) process on a S45C steel substrate were investigated. In order to obtain a high fracture toughness and wear resistance, the powder size and powder mixing ratio were varied. The microstructure and chemical composition of the phases in the coatings were characterized by means of the SEM and XRD techniques. Image analysis was used for the evaluation of the porosity of the coatings. Indentations tests were carried out on the cross sections of the coatings to evaluate the hardness and fracture toughness. The wear properties of the coatings were assessed using a pin-on-disk wear tester at ambient temperature without lubrication. The mixing of a small amount of coarse powders with fine powders resulted in the highest fracture toughness and wear resistance, due to the formation of coating layers having the lowest porosity.     

9Ni钢T&T焊接工艺低温韧性

依据AWS D1.1M-2010,ISO 15653:2010对液化天然气(LNG)低温储罐钢9Ni钢TOP-TIG(T&T)焊接接头进行了夏比冲击韧性试验和断裂韧性(CTOD)试验. 另外对接头进行组织、XRD及断口分析,研究了9Ni钢T&T焊接接头低温韧性性能. 结果表明,T&T焊接接头冲击吸收功远高于标准要求,冲击韧性很好;热影响区组织主要为板条马氏体,位错密度高,断口韧窝浅而小,呈准解理断裂,焊缝区CTOD值较高,组织主要为奥氏体树枝状结构和等轴晶,断口含有大量韧窝,断裂韧性好. 9Ni钢T&T焊接接头-196 ℃低温韧性好,可以满足相关工程标准的要求.     

Bending behavior of HVOF produced WC-17Co coating: Investigated by acoustic emission

A four-point bend test using acoustic emission (AE) was used to compare coating properties under mechanical solicitation, mainly the toughness and spalling behavior. Coatings are made from the same material; Sulzer-Metco (Westbury, NY) 2005NS (WC-17Co) sprayed with an HVOF gun with different spray parameters. Coatings deposited on thin rectangular substrates were first bent in tension then in compression. AE features like the event number, energy per event, and cumulative energy were used to assess the damages in the coatings. The results are analyzed in relation to the coating microstructure.     

微观组织对TA15 ELI钛合金损伤容限性能的影响

研究了TA15 ELI钛合金43 mm厚板的等轴组织、双态组织和片层组织的室温拉伸性能、断裂韧性(KIC)以及疲劳裂纹扩展速率(da/dN)等损伤容限性能,通过金相显微镜观测了疲劳裂纹在各类组织中的扩展规律,讨论显微组织对该合金损伤容限性能的影响.结果表明该合金等轴组织和双态组织的室温力学性能和疲劳裂纹扩展阻抗差别不大;相对等轴组织和双态组织而言,该合金片层组织在损失强度较小的前提下(Rm=992 MPa),合金断裂韧性提高,达到111 MPa·m1/2,同时该合金的疲劳裂纹扩展速率也大幅降低,其Paris公式拟合参数为c=1.08×10-8,n=3.23,具有更好的损伤容限性能.     

磁控溅射沉积硬韧 ZrAlN 薄膜及薄膜力 学性能

目的获得具有高硬度、高韧性的ZrAlN薄膜。方法采用磁控溅射技术在钛合金和单晶Si上沉积不同Al含量的ZrAlN薄膜,对薄膜的微观组织和相结构进行表征,并测试薄膜的硬度(H)、弹性模量(E)和断裂韧性(KIC)。结果当Zr1-xAlxN薄膜x分别为0.05,0.23,0.47,0.63时,对应的硬度依次为24.5,40.1,17.1,19.1 GPa,断裂韧性依次为1.47,3.17,1.13,1.58 MPa·m-0.5。x为0.05和0.23时,Al固溶到ZrN晶粒中,形成NaCl型面心立方(FCC)结构;x为0.47和0.63时,则形成纤锌矿密排六方(HCP)AlN第二相。结论 ZrAlN薄膜的硬度和韧性与相组成密切相关。Al固溶时,ZrAlN的硬度较高,韧性较好;超过固溶极限,形成六方AlN时,ZrAlN硬度较低,韧性较差。相比之下,Zr0.77Al0.23N薄膜同时具备最高的硬度和最高的韧性。     

Microstructure origin of strength and toughness of a premium rail steel

The mechanical properties, fracture toughness, fracture surface morphology, and failure mechanisms of different layers in a premium railhead were studied. Correlation between the mechanical properties and the failure mechanisms for each of the layers was made. It has been found that the microstructure and mechanical properties of the top layer are different from those of the inner layers, while the middle layer and the layer near the web demonstrated similar mechanical properties, microstructure, and fracture toughness. The top layer displayed 15% higher tensile strength than the other two layers. However, the strain to failure of the top layer, 11%, is only about 60% of that of the inner layers, 17.5%. The top layer has a fracture toughness, K _Ic , of 75 MPa m^1/2. This value for the inner layers is about 95 MPa m^1/2. Thus, the heat treatment decreases the ductility and fracture toughness of the top layer of the railhead. Transition from the brittlelike fracture mechanism of the top layer into a more ductile mechanism of the inner layers was also found.     

粉末结构对HVOF喷涂WC-Co涂层组织性能的影响

选用4种不同WC尺度的WC-12Co粉末作为初始喂料,通过超音速火焰喷涂系统(HVOF)制备了涂层。考察了不同粉末结构对涂层沉积过程的脱碳行为和涂层组织性能的影响。结果表明:WC颗粒尺寸减小加剧了涂层脱碳行为,涂层中W2C含量增加,粘结相非晶化现象明显,涂层硬度增加,但是当WC颗粒尺寸减小到纳米尺度时,韧性下降。双峰结构涂层表现出最好的韧性同时兼备较高的硬度。