Microstructure,Mechanical Properties,and Two-Body Abrasive Wear Behavior of Cold-Sprayed 20 vol.% Cubic BN-NiCrAl Nanocomposite Coating

20 vol.% cubic boron nitride (cBN) dispersoid reinforced NiCrAl matrix nanocomposite coating was prepared by cold spray using mechanically alloyed nanostructured composite powders. The as-sprayed nanocomposite coating was annealed at a temperature of 750 °C to enhance the inter-particle bonding. Microstructure of spray powders and coatings was characterized. Vickers microhardness of the coatings was measured. Two-body abrasive wear behavior of the coatings was examined on a pin-on-disk test. It was found that, in mechanically alloyed composite powders, nano-sized and submicro-sized cBN particles are uniformly distributed in nanocrystalline NiCrAl matrix. Dense coating was deposited by cold spray at a gas temperature of 650 °C with the same phases and grain size as those of the starting powder. Vickers hardness test yielded a hardness of 1063 HV for the as-sprayed 20 vol.% cBN-NiCrAl coating. After annealed at 750 °C for 5 h, unbonded inter-particle boundaries were partially healed and evident grain growth of nanocrystalline NiCrAl was avoided. Wear resistance of the as-sprayed 20 vol.% cBN-NiCrAl nanocomposite coating was comparable to the HVOF-sprayed WC-12Co coating. Annealing of the nanocomposite coating resulted in the improvement of wear resistance by a factor of ~33% owing to the enhanced inter-particle bonding. Main material removal mechanisms during the abrasive wear are also discussed.     

Effects of Post-spray Heat Treatment on Hardness and Wear Properties of Ti-WC High-Pressure Cold Spray Coatings

In this research, the effects of post-spray heat treatment at 550 and 650 °C for 1 h on a cermet Ti-WC nanostructured coating deposited onto AISI 304 stainless steel substrates by high-pressure cold spray was observed. A metallic Ti interlayer was further used to compensate for stresses resulting from subsequent heat treatment on the developed coating. Microstructural analysis of the as-deposited coating by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed mostly fine WC grain (below 1 µm) present in the coating with a few larger 4 µm grains dispersed homogeneously throughout. X-ray diffraction analysis of the as-sprayed coating showed no noticeable evidence of WC decarburization. Heat treatment of the coating caused porosity to decrease from above 1.7% to below 0.5%, traced by SEM image analysis. Post-spray heat treatment promotes the formation of new carbide phases caused by the reactions between the Ti binder and WC grains, resulting in significant increases to Vickers microhardness. Evidence of an SHS reaction that produces TiC with heat treatment is confirmed with SEM image analysis as well as (S)TEM area mapping techniques, further supported by selected area electron diffraction analysis. Three-body sliding wear/abrasion tests have shown that wear resistance of Ti-WC cold spray coatings increases with heat treatment as well. In all, the effect of post-spray heat treatment behavior of nanostructured Ti-WC coating will be compared with that of as-sprayed behavior and WC-Co cold spray coatings.     

Effects of SiC Volume Fraction and Particle Size on the Deposition Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Cold-Sprayed AZ91D/SiCp Composite Coatings

AZ91D/SiC_p composite coatings were fabricated on AZ31 magnesium alloy substrates using cold spraying. The effects of SiC volume fraction and particle size on the deposition behavior, microhardness, and bonding strength of coatings were studied. The mean sizes of SiC particles tested were 4, 14, and 27 μm. The results show that fine SiC particles (d _0.5 = 4 μm) are difficult to be deposited due to the bow shock effect. The volume fraction of SiC particles in composite coatings increases with the increasing SiC particle size. The microhardness and bonding strength of composite coatings also show increases compared with AZ91D coatings. The volume fractions of SiC particles in the original powder were set at 15, 30, 45, and 60 vol.%. The corresponding contents in composite coatings are increased to 19, 27, 37, and 51 vol.%, respectively. The microhardness of composite coatings also increases as the volume fraction of SiC particles increases.     

搅拌摩擦加工改性冷喷涂Al-12Si合金涂层的组织和性能

采用冷喷涂在碳钢基体上沉积制备了Al-12Si合金涂层,分别采用平端面和渐开线端面的无针搅拌头以950r/min转速对涂层表面进行搅拌摩擦加工(FSP)改性。采用光镜和扫描电镜对喷涂态和FSP改性后涂层的组织结构进行了表征。结果表明:采用两种搅拌头获得了不同形貌的组织,随着渐开线端面搅拌头的移动,提高了热输入,涂层中组织出现了过热造成的气孔缺陷。Si颗粒在FSP的塑性变形过程中得到了充分的混合,均匀地分散在了涂层中,分析表明沉积粒子的再分布和晶粒的细化能显著提高涂层的表面性能,此外,两种FSP搅拌头改性后涂层表面的硬度分别为113.8HV0.5和125.1HV0.5。     

Corrosion behaviour of Mg/Al alloys with composite coatings

The corrosion behaviour of aluminium/silicon carbide (Al/SiC) composite coatings deposited by thermal spray on AZ31, AZ80 and AZ91D magnesium-aluminium alloys was investigated by electrochemical and gravimetric measurements in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution at 22 °C. Corrosion products were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and low-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD). Al/SiC composite coatings in the as-sprayed state revealed high level of porosity with poor bonding at the Al/SiC and coating/substrate interfaces, which facilitated degradation of the magnesium substrates by a mechanism of galvanic corrosion. Cold-pressing post-treatment produced more compact coatings with improved corrosion performance in 3.5 wt.% NaCl compared with as-sprayed coatings.     

Effect of Nd2O3 Additive on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of Plasma-Sprayed NiCr-Cr2O3 Composite Coatings

Four types of NiCr-Cr₂O₃ composite coatings doped with different mass fraction of Nd₂O₃ were deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying. The microstructure and phase composition of as-sprayed coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, their friction and wear behaviors at 20 and 600 °C under unlubricated condition were evaluated using CSM high temperature tribometer. The results showed that Nd₂O₃ could refine microstructure of NiCr-Cr₂O₃ composite coating and make Cr₂O₃ distribution more uniform in the coating, which leads to the increase of average microhardness. In addition, NiCr-Cr₂O₃ composite coatings doped with Nd₂O₃ had better wear resistance than that without Nd₂O₃ at experimental temperatures. Especially, the coating containing 8 wt.% Nd₂O₃ showed the best wear resistance at 20 and 600 °C, which was attributed to the refined microstructure and improved microhardness. At 20 °C, the wear mechanism of the coating was abrasive wear, brittle fracture and splat detachment. At 600 °C, the wear mechanism was adhesion wear and plastic deformation.     

Effects of SiC Particle Size and Process Parameters on the Microstructure and Hardness of AZ91/SiC Composite Layer Fabricated by FSP

In this study, friction stir processing (FSP) was employed to develop a composite layer on the surface of as-cast AZ91 magnesium alloy using SiC particles (5 μm and 30 nm). The effects of the rotational and traverse speeds and the FSP pass number on the microstructure and microhardness of the friction stir processed (FSPed) layer with and without SiC particles were investigated. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed for microstructural analysis. FSP produces a homogeneous microstructure by eliminating the precipitates near the grain boundaries. The analyses showed that the effects of the rotational and traverse speeds on the microstructure of specimens produced without nano-sized SiC particles are considerable; however, they are negligible in the specimens with particles. While the second FSP pass enhances the microstructure and microhardness of the samples with SiC particles, it has no significant effect on such properties in the samples without SiC particles.     

Influence of Pulse Electrodeposition and Heat Treatment on Microstructure,Tribological, and Corrosion Behavior of Nano-Grain Size Co-W Coatings

In the present study, Co-W nano-structured alloy coatings are produced on low-carbon steel substrate by means of pulse electrodeposition from a citrate-based bath under different average current densities and duty cycles. The results indicate that the coating deposited under 60% of duty cycle and 1 A/dm² of average current density exhibit optimum pulse plating conditions with 44.38 wt.% W, 37 nm grain size, and 758 HV microhardness. The effect of heat treatment temperature on microstructure, composition, corrosion behavior, and morphology of amorphous deposited Co-W alloy with 44 wt.% W was investigated. The microhardness of the coating increased to 1052 HV after heat treatment at 600 °C, which is due to the formation of Co₃W and CoWO₄ phases in the deposit. Furthermore, the coatings heat-treated at 600 °C had lower friction coefficients and better wear resistance under various loads than before heating.     

Preparation of SrZrO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Thermal Barrier Coating by Solution Precursor Plasma Spray

The solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS) process is capable of depositing highly durable thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). In this study, an aqueous chemical precursor feedstock was injected into the plasma jet to deposit SrZrO₃ thermal barrier coating on metal substrate. Taguchi design of experiments was employed to optimize the SPPS process. The thermal characteristics and phase evolution of the SrZrO₃ precursor, as well as the influence of various spray parameters on the coating deposition rate, microhardness, microstructure, and phase stability, were investigated. The experimental results showed that, at given spray distance, feedstock flow rate, and atomization pressure, the optimized spray parameters were arc current of 600 A, argon flow rate of 40 L/min, and hydrogen flow rate of 10 L/min. The SrZrO₃ coating prepared using the optimized spray parameters had single-pass thickness of 6.0 μm, porosity of ~18%, and microhardness of 6.8 ± 0.1 GPa. Phase stability studies indicated that the as-sprayed SrZrO₃ coating had good phase stability in the temperature range from room temperature to 1400 °C, gradually exhibiting a phase transition from t′-ZrO₂ to m-ZrO₂ in the SrZrO₃ coating at 1450 °C with increasing time, while the SrZrO₃ phase did not change.     

Effect of SiC particles on microstructure and mechanical property of friction stir processed AA6061-T4

Friction stir processing of AA6061-T4 alloy with SiC particles was successfully carried out.SiC particles were uniformly dispersed into an AA6061-T4 matrix.Also SiC particles promoted the grain refinement of the AA6061-T4 matrix by FSP.The mean grain size of the stir zone (SZ) with the SiC particles was obviously smaller than that of the stir zone without the SiC particles.The microhardness of the SZ with the SiC particles reached about HV80 due to the grain refinement and the distribution of the SiC particles.     

Effect of Intermetallic Compound Phases on the Mechanical Properties of the Dissimilar Al/Cu Friction Stir Welded Joints

Types and distribution of intermetallic compound phases and their effects on the mechanical properties of dissimilar Al/Cu friction stir welded joints were investigated. Three different rotation speeds of 1000, 1200 and 1400 rpm were used with two welding speeds of 20 and 50 mm/min. The results show that the microstructures inside the stir zone were greatly affected by the rotation speed. Complex layered structures that containing intermetallic compound phases such as CuAl₂, Al₄Cu₉ were formed in the stir zone. Their amount found to be increased with increasing rotation speed. However, the increasing of the rotation speed slightly lowered the hardness of the stir zone. Many sharp hardness peaks in the stir zones were found as a result of the intermetallic compounds formed, and the highest peaks of 420 Hv were observed at a rotation speed of 1400 rpm. The joints ultimate tensile strength reached a maximum value of 105 MPa at the rotation speed of 1200 rpm and travel speed of 20 mm/min with the joint efficiency ranged between 88 and 96% of the aluminum base metal. At the travel speed of 50 mm/min, the maximum value of the ultimate tensile strength was 96 MPa at rotation speed of 1400 rpm with the joint efficiency ranged between 79 and 90%. The fracture surfaces of tensile test specimens showed no evidence for the effect of the brittle intermetallic compounds in the stir zones on the tensile strength of the joints.     

Characterization of aluminum based functionally graded composites developed via friction stir processing

Al/SiC functionally graded material (FGM) was developed through a novel multi-step friction stir processing (FSP) method. SiC particles with a mean size of 27.5 μm were embedded in the groove on the 6082-Al plate. To create a graded structure over a predefined value, FSP was carried out with three tools with different pin lengths and with varying volume fractions of SiC particles. The structure was formed by passing tools with 1−3 passes with a constant rotational and traveling speeds of 900 r/min and 20 mm/min, respectively. The experiments were conducted at room temperature. Microstructural features of functionally graded (FG) samples were examined by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 3D light microscopy. Mechanical properties in terms of wear resistance and microhardness were thoroughly assessed. The results indicate that the increase in FSP pass number causes more uniform SiC particle dispersion. The microhardness values were impacted by the number of passes and improved by 51.54% for Pass 3 when compared to as-received 6082-Al. Wear resistance of Al/SiC FG samples was found to increase as a result of the addition of SiC particles.     

Fabrication of SiC particle reinforced composite on aluminium surface by friction stir processing

Abstract

A feasibility investigation has been carried out of the formation of surface composite by uniformly distributing SiC particles 1˙25 µm in size into a surface layer of an A 1050-H24 Al plate through friction stir processing (FSP). The SiC particle was filled into a groove cut on the Al plate, covered by an Al sheet 2 mm thick, and a rotating tool was penetrated from the cover sheet so that the probe tip reached a depth beyond the groove bottom. The effects of process parameters (rotation speed and travelling speed) and applying multiple passes on the distribution of SiC particle in the nugget zone were investigated. The effects of groove size and its position relative to the tool probe were also investigated. Applying multiple passes had a great effect on the homogeneity of the SiC particle distribution. At rotation speeds of 2000–3000 rev min^?1, the SiC particles tended to cluster in some places in the nugget zone. By decreasing the rotation speed to 1000–1500 rev min^?1, the SiC particle was distributed in almost all the nugget zone area when the groove was 2–3 mm wide and 1˙5 mm deep. On the other hand, the stirring action of FSP was insufficient to distribute homogenously the SiC particles when the groove size was increased to 3×2 mm. By shifting the groove position towards the advancing side of the tool probe, the distribution of the SiC particles in the nugget zone became better. The defect free nugget zone with homogenously distributed SiC particles was obtained in a sample produced by FSP at rotation speeds of 1500 rev min^?1 for the first pass and 1250 rev min^?1 for the second and third passes. Microhardness of the nugget zone was increased to a level as high as 55 HV when the groove size was 3×1˙5 mm. The effect of the rotation speed on the particles dispersion was discussed with particular reference to the vertical material flow in the nugget zone.     

Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of Mg–Al alloys with thermal spray Al/SiCp composite coatings

The corrosion protection of Mg–Al alloys by flame thermal spraying of Al/SiC particles (SiCp) composite coatings was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The volume fraction of SiCp varied between 5 and 30%. The as-sprayed Al/SiCp composite coatings revealed a high number of microchannels, largely in the vicinity of the SiCp, that facilitated the penetration of the electrolyte and the subsequent galvanic corrosion of the magnesium substrates. The application of a cold-pressing post-treatment reduced the degree of porosity of the coatings and improved the bonding at the coating/substrate and Al/SiC interfaces. This resulted in improved corrosion resistance of the coated specimens. The effectiveness of the coatings slightly decreased with the addition of 5–30 vol.% SiCp compared with the unreinforced thermal spray aluminium coatings.     

火焰喷涂和等离子喷涂FeCrBSi涂层及其防滑和耐磨性能研究

目的采用大气等离子喷涂(APS)和火焰喷涂(FS)在304不锈钢基体上制备FeCrBSi涂层,并对比研究两种工艺制备涂层的防滑和耐磨性能。方法通过光学显微镜、场发射扫描电镜和X射线衍射仪对涂层的显微形貌和结构进行分析,通过维氏硬度计测试涂层的显微硬度。采用摩擦磨损试验机和三维光学显微镜,测量涂层在干摩擦条件下的摩擦系数和磨损量。结果两种喷涂方法制备的涂层多孔,在喷涂过程中极少发生氧化。与火焰喷涂涂层(749HV0.1)相比,大气等离子喷涂涂层(837HV0.1)具有更高的维氏硬度值。在摩擦试验中,火焰喷涂涂层的磨损率为(38.63±2.37)×10~(-6)m~3/(N·m),而大气等离子喷涂涂层的磨损率为(9.5±0.49)×10~(-6)m~3/(N·m),但两种涂层的摩擦系数区别较小,在频率2 Hz、载荷10 N的条件下的摩擦系数为0.6~0.7。结论两种涂层的磨损机制均为疲劳磨损,喷涂态FeCrBSi涂层具有较好的防滑耐磨性能,且大气等离子喷涂涂层性能优于火焰喷涂涂层。     

Mechanical and Microstructural Characterization of Cold-Sprayed Ti-6Al-4V After Heat Treatment

The cold spray of Ti-6Al-4V coatings deposited on Ti-6Al-4V substrates has been investigated. Coatings were produced using nitrogen and helium as propellant gases and subsequently heat treated with various temperature-time conditions. The microstructure was characterized by SEM and optical microscopy while mechanical properties were measured by microhardness and tensile testing. It is shown that coatings sprayed with nitrogen gas were relatively porous in comparison to the nearly completely dense coatings obtained with helium gas. In the as-sprayed condition, coatings displayed high hardness but low tensile strength. Heat treatments at temperatures of 600 °C and higher resulted in a decrease in hardness due to microstructural changes within the particles including recovery, recrystallization, and/or phase transformation. However, an increase in tensile strength was attributed to improved inter-particle bonding due to an observed change from brittle to ductile features on the fracture surface. The highest strength coating produced was a helium-sprayed coating annealed at 600 °C, which featured a tensile strength ~85% of the minimum required bulk value and coating/substrate microstructures similar to the as-received powder/substrate microstructures.     

Effects of Traverse Scanning Speed of Spray Nozzle on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cold-Sprayed Ti6Al4V Coatings

Cold spray has the potential to restore damaged aerospace components made from titanium alloy, Ti6Al4V at low temperature (200-400 °C). Traverse scanning speed during deposition is one of the key factors that affect the quality of the Ti6Al4V coatings as it influences the thermal build-up and coating thickness per pass. As there are fewer reported studies on this, this work investigated the effects of different traverse scanning speeds (100, 300 and 500 mm/s) of cold spray nozzle on the microstructure and mechanical properties of cold-sprayed Ti6Al4V coatings. The cross-sectional analysis showed coating porosities reduces with slower traverse speed, from 3.2 to 0.5%. In addition, the microhardness of the coatings increased from about 361-385 HV due to strain hardening. However, the adhesion strength of the coatings to the substrates significantly decreased with reduced traverse speed from about 60 MPa (glue failure) at 500 mm/s to 2.5 MPa (interface failure) at 100 mm/s. Therefore, this study revealed that the control of heat build-up and thickness per pass during the cold spray deposition of the Ti6Al4V coatings is crucial to attain the desirable properties of the coatings.     

热处理对TA2合金表面激光熔覆Ti2SC/TiS涂层组织和力学性能的影响

目的对激光熔覆自润滑耐磨涂层进行热处理,获得具有较好摩擦学性能的复合涂层。方法采用激光熔覆技术在TA2合金表面熔覆40%Ti-25.2%TiC-34.8%WS_2复合粉末制备自润滑耐磨复合涂层。将涂层置于500℃真空中分别保温1、2 h,采用扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、能谱仪(EDS)、显微硬度计、摩擦磨损试验机以及原子力显微镜(AFM)系统地分析了热处理前后涂层的物相、组织、显微硬度及摩擦学性能。结果未经过热处理和经过热处理涂层的主要物相均为α-Ti、(Ti,W)C_(1-x)、TiC、Ti_2SC和TiS。相比未经热处理涂层的显微硬度(1049.8 HV_(0.5)),经过热处理1 h和2 h涂层的显微硬度(1143.3 HV_(0.5)和1162.7 HV_(0.5))有所上升。热处理1 h和2 h涂层的摩擦系数和磨损率分别为0.29和6.66×10~(-5) mm~3/(N·m)以及0.29和5.65×10~(-5) mm~3/(N·m),比未热处理涂层(0.32和18.92×10~(-5) mm~3/(N·m))的耐磨减摩性能有所提升。经过热处理1 h和2 h涂层的磨损机理均主要表现为磨粒磨损,未经热处理涂层的磨损机理主要为塑性变形和粘着磨损。结论相比未经热处理的涂层,经过热处理1 h和2 h的涂层显微硬度有所升高,摩擦学性能得到提升,但在两种热处理时间条件下,涂层显微硬度和摩擦学性能变化较小。     

Fabrication of Al/Al2Cu in situ nanocomposite via friction stir processing

The aim of present work is fabrication of Al/Al₂Cu in situ nanocomposite by friction stir processing (FSP) as well as investigation of FPS parameters such as rotational speed, travel speed, number of FSP passes, and pin profile on the microstructure, chemical reaction, and microhardness of Al based nanocomposite. The Al₂Cu particles were formed rapidly due to mechanically activated effect of FSP as well as high heat generation due to Al-Cu exothermic reaction. The microstructure of the nanocomposites consisted of a finer grained aluminium matrix (～15 µm), unreacted Cu nanoparticles (～40 nm), and reinforcement nanoparticles of Al₂Cu. Irregular morphology of Al₂Cu is attributed to the local melting during FSP. Pin diameter has a higher effect on the microstructure and hardness values. The hardness measurements exhibited enhancement by 57% compared with the base metal.     

Preparation of TiAl3-Al composite coating by cold spraying

TiAl₃-Al coating was deposited on orthorhombic Ti₂AlNb alloy substrate by cold spraying with the mixture of pure Al and Ti as the feedstock powder at a fixed molar ratio of 3:1 when the spraying distance, gas temperature and gas pressure for the process were 10 mm, 250 °C and 1.8 MPa, respectively. The as-sprayed coating was then subjected to heat treatment at 630 °C in argon atmosphere for 5 h at a heating rate of 3 °C/min and an argon gas flow rate of 40 mL/min. The obtained TiAl₃-Al composite coating is about 212 μm with a density of 3.16 g/cm³ and a porosity of 14.69% in general. The microhardness and bonding strength for the composite coating are HV525 and 27.12 MPa.