Thermally sprayed wear resistant coatings with nanostructured hard phases

The aim of this investigation was the development of a new quality of thermally sprayed coatings with high resistance against wear and corrosion and to evaluate the application potential of nano-sized hard phases in thermally sprayed layers. The newly developed material consists of a highly corrosion-resistant matrix of stainless steel (even without nickel) combined with nano-structured hard phases of vanadium nitrides (VN). On the other hand, matrices consisting of cobalt-chromium (CoCr) with submicron hard phases of tungstencarbides (WC) were investigated with respect to microstructure and wear resistance compared with conventional ones.     

Abrasive wear resistance of plasma-sprayed glass-composite coatings

A ball-milled mixture of glass and alumina powders has been plasma sprayed to produce alumina-glass composite coatings. The coatings have the unique advantage of a melted, ceramic secondary phase parallel to the surface in an aligned plateletlike-composite structure. The alumina raises the hardness from 300 HV for pure glass coatings to 900 HV for a 60 wt.% alumina-glass composite coating. The scratch resistance increases by a factor of 3, and the wear resistance increases by a factor of 5. The glass wears by the formation and intersection of cracks, while the alumina wears by fine abrasion and supports most of the sliding load. The wear resistance reaches a maximum at 40 to 50 vol.% alumina, above which there is little further improvement. This critical alumina content corresponds to the changeover from a glass to a ceramic matrix.     

Effects of the powder manufacturing method on microstructure and wear performance of plasma sprayed alumina-titania coatings

Three Al₂O₃-13wt.% TiO₂ powders, with the same chemical composition but different Al₂O₃-TiO₂ distribution patterns, are plasma sprayed and the resulting coatings are compared in terms of their phase composition, microstructure, hardness, crack growth resistance, and abrasive wear performance. It is demonstrated that the degree of mixing of the Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ ingredients in the feed powder has immense impact on the phase composition, microstructure, hardness, crack growth resistance, and abrasive wear performance of the coatings. A high degree of mixing of Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ in the powder state results in more uniform microstructure, higher hardness, higher crack growth resistance, and consequently better abrasive wear resistance of the coating.     

A comparative study of tribological behavior of plasma and D-gun sprayed coatings under different wear modes

In recent years, thermal sprayed protective coatings have gained widespread acceptance for a variety of industrial applications. A vast majority of these applications involve the use of thermal sprayed coatings to combat wear. While plasma spraying is the most versatile variant of all the thermal spray processes, the detonation gun (D-gun) coatings have been a novelty until recently because of their proprietary nature. The present study is aimed at comparing the tribological behavior of coatings deposited using the two above techniques by focusing on some popular coating materials that are widely adopted for wear resistant applications, namely, WC-12% Co, A1₂O₃, and Cr₃C₂-MCr. To enable a comprehensive comparison of the above indicated thermal spray techniques as well as coating materials, the deposited coatings were extensively characterized employing microstructural evaluation, microhardness measurements, and XRD analysis for phase constitution. The behavior of these coatings under different wear modes was also evaluated by determining their tribological performance when subjected to solid particle erosion tests, rubber wheel sand abrasion tests, and pin-on-disk sliding wear tests. The results from the above tests are discussed here. It is evident that the D-gun sprayed coatings consistently exhibit denser microstructures and higher hardness values than their plasma sprayed counterparts. The D-gun coatings are also found to unfailingly exhibit superior tribological performance superior to the corresponding plasma sprayed coatings in all wear tests. Among all the coating materials studied, D-gun sprayed WC-12%Co, in general, yields the best performance under different modes of wear, whereas plasma sprayed Al₂O₃ shows least wear resistance to every wear mode.     

WC-12Ni/NiCrBSi爆炸喷涂涂层制备及其滑动磨损特性

利用爆炸喷涂方法制备了不同比例的WC-12Ni/NiCrBSi涂层,研究了NiCrBSi含量对涂层的组织形貌、硬度与结合强度的影响,用扫描电镜和能谱仪分析了涂层的滑动磨损行为.结果表明:由于NiCrBSi的加入,改善了WC颗粒的熔融状态,提高了涂层的结合力,涂层中含15%的NiCrBSi时,可以明显的提高涂层的磨损抗力.     

Sliding wear evaluation of hot isostatically pressed thermal spray ceramet coatings

The principal aim of this study was to compare the sliding wear performance of as-sprayed and Hot Isostatically Pressed (HIPed) thermal spray cermet (WC-12Co) coatings. Results indicate that HIPing technique can be successfully applied to post-treat thermal spray cermet coatings for improved sliding wear performance, not only in terms of coating wear, but also in terms of the total volume loss for test couples. WC-12Co coatings sprayed by a HVOF system were deposited on SUJ-2 bearing steel substrate and then encapsulated and HIPed at 850 °C for one hour. A high frequency reciprocating ball on plate rig was used to measure the sliding wear resistance of these coatings in dry conditions under steel and ceramic contact configurations at two different loads. Results are discussed in terms of coating microstructure, microhardness, fracture toughness and residual stress evaluations. Microstructural investigations indicate fundamental changes in grain morphology, whereas x-ray diffraction revealed beneficial transformations in phase composition of these coatings during the HIPing post treatment. The effects of these microstructural changes on the physical properties and wear resistance are discussed.     

Hot and cold erosive wear of thermal sprayed NiCr-based coatings: Influence of porosity and oxidation

In this work, the hot and cold erosive wear mechanisms of HVOF and plasma-sprayed NiCr-based coatings are evaluated. Erosion tests were carried out in specially developed equipment, with possible variations in temperature and attack angle. The effects of erodent incrustation (SEM/EDS mapping) and oxidation of metallic coating (mass weight) were considered. The results were associated with the microstructural characteristics of the coatings (porosity, size of lamellae) and with the mechanical properties, such as microhardness and elasticity modulus. The obtained results showed that NiCr coatings are ductile, a property similar to monolithic metallic materials. The porosity influenced both the amount of incrusted alumina particles and oxidation. The increase in temperature caused higher oxidation and erodent incrustation.     

Reactive plasma spraying of wear-resistant coatings

A method for producing wear-resistant, carbide-reinforced coatings has been investigated. A conventional low-pressure plasma gun has been modified with a downstream reactor into which carbon-containing gases are mixed, heated, and disassociated. The disassociated gas ions—H* and C* —are subsequently brought into contact with heated, molten metal matrix powders. Experiments with NiCr/Ti blends and W powders have shown that uniformly dispersed carbides such as, TiC, Cr^Cy, WC, and W2C were formed in situ on the metal precursor powders during deposition. The in situ formed particles, being formed directly from the matrices, show excellent matrix cohesion and lead to high and uniform deposit microhardnesses. The process is described and several evaluations of materials, reactive gases, and spray conditions are reported. Microanalysis of the coatings are presented, microhardness values are reported, and XRD identifies the in situ formed phases.     

Evaluation of thermally sprayed coatings under reciprocating lubricated wear conditions

To find an alternate coating to hard electroplated chrome in internal combustion engines, wear tests and metallurgical characterization have been performed on plasma-sprayed chromium oxide, metal-arc-sprayed martensitic stainless steel, and electroplated chromium coatings applied to steel base material. A wear test rig was fabricated that simulated the reciprocating sliding wear under lubrication encountered in internal combustion engines. The chromium oxide coating was found to perform equally well compared to the hard chrome coating that is conventionally used.     

High-power hybrid plasma spraying of large yttria-stabilized zirconia powder

To testify to the advantage of large ceramic powder spraying, numerical simulations and experimental studies on the behavior of large yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) powder in a high-power hybrid plasma spraying process have been carried out. Numeric predictions and experimental results showed that, with the high radio frequency (RF) input power of 100 kW, the most refractory YSZ powder with particle sizes as large as 88 μm could be fully melted and well-flattened splats could be formed. A large degree of flattening (ξ) of 4.7 has been achieved. The improved adhesive strength between the large splat and the substrate was confirmed based on the measurement of the crack density inside of the splats. A thick YSZ coating >300 μm was successfully deposited on a large CoNiCrAlY-coated Inconel substrate (50×50×4 mm in size). The ultradense microstructure without clear boundaries between the splats and the clean and crack-free interface between the top-coat and the bond-coat also indicate the good adhesion. These results showed that highpower hybrid plasma spraying of large ceramic powder is a very promising process for deposition of highquality coatings, especially in the application of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs).     

铸造碳化钨粉末物性对激光熔覆陶瓷颗粒增强Fe基复合材料耐磨性能的影响

为研究铸造碳化钨粉末物性对激光熔覆陶瓷颗粒增强Fe基复合材料耐磨性能的影响,将不同制备方法和粒径的铸造碳化钨粉末添加到Fe基合金粉中,在45号钢表面进行激光熔覆以获得高硬度和高耐磨的合金化层。利用金相显微镜、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、硬度计分别分析了合金化层的显微组织、物相组成以及显微硬度。利用轮式磨损试验机测试了其常温下的耐磨性能,并进行了比较。结果表明:熔覆层主要由莱氏体组成,碳化钨粉末的制备方法和粒径差异对复合材料的耐磨性能具有重要影响。等离子旋转电极雾化法制备的碳化钨粉末能起到最好的增强耐磨作用,粒径细的碳化钨粉末比粒径粗的粉末增强耐磨效果要好。     

热喷涂制备TiB2涂层的研究进展

TiB2具有优良的性能和潜在的应用前景,采用粉末冶金制备致密块体材料的工艺复杂、成本高昂,限制了它的应用.涂层技术则是简化制备工艺、降低制造成本的有效手段.本文综述了热喷涂制备TiB2涂层的工艺特点以及TiB2物理化学特性对热喷涂制备工艺的影响,提出通过粉体复合技术改善TiB2粉体的物性,满足热喷涂工艺要求,从而获得高质量涂层的措施.     

粉末结构对HVOF金属陶瓷涂层腐蚀冲蚀磨损性能的影响

采用3种不同NiCr粘结相含量和两种不同尺度WC颗粒的金属陶瓷粉末,运用超音速火焰喷涂（HVOF）方法制备了Cr3 C2-NiCr、WC-12%Co涂层,在5%H2 SO4、15%棕刚玉和水混合介质条件下,运用腐蚀冲蚀磨损试验机测定了涂层在45°冲蚀角下的失重量变化规律,研究了喷涂粉末NiCr含量和WC颗粒尺度对所沉积金属陶瓷涂层耐腐蚀冲蚀磨损性能的影响。结果表明,HVOF喷涂Cr3C2-NiCr、WC-12%Co涂层在5%H2SO4、15%棕刚玉和水混合介质条件下的腐蚀冲蚀率均低于低碳钢,并且Cr3 C2-NiCr涂层的抗腐蚀冲蚀性能要优于WC-12%Co涂层。Cr3 C2-40%NiCr和Cr3 C2-25%NiCr涂层其腐蚀冲蚀率低于Cr3 C2-10%NiCr涂层,与纳米尺度WC颗粒相比,微米尺度WC颗粒所制备的WC-12%Co涂层的抗腐蚀冲蚀性能较好。     

等离子喷涂热障涂层的隔热性分析

采用大气等离子喷涂方法制备不同类型的氧化钇部分稳定氧化锆热障涂层：传统涂层、纳米团聚粉末制备的纳米涂层和空心球粉末制备的空心球涂层。通过扫描电镜、透射电镜、压汞仪和激光脉冲法观察和测试各种涂层的组织形貌、空隙分布和导热系数,并在相同条件下测试各种涂层的隔热性能。结果表明：纳米涂层空隙率最低,内部孔洞细小。空心球涂层组织相对疏松,内部层片更薄,有最高的空隙率和最大的平均空隙大小。传统涂层介于二者之间。纳米涂层和传统涂层均表现出双态空隙大小分布。涂层的导热系数均随着温度的上升而升高。传统涂层的热导率最高,纳米涂层与空心球涂层的热导率相接近。纳米涂层具有最好的隔热性能,空心球涂层接近纳米涂层的隔热效果。隔热效果与涂层厚度呈线性关系。随着厚度增加,导热系数低的纳米涂层和空心球涂层的隔热效果增长幅度高于传统涂层。     

Sliding wear behavior of tungsten carbide thermal spray coatings for replacement of chromium electroplate in aircraft applications

Tungsten carbide (WC) thermal spray coatings have gained increased acceptance for commercial aircraft applications driven by the desire to replace chromium electroplate due to environmental and economic considerations. In order to confidently replace electroplated chrome with WC thermal spray coatings in aircraft applications, the coatings must demonstrate fatigue and wear characteristics as good as or better than those of electroplated chrome. Previous research in this area has shown that the fatigue life of the WC thermal spray coatings can be improved by inducing compressive residual stresses in the coating. This paper compares the wear characteristics of several types of WC thermal spray coatings with those of electroplated chrome in sliding wear tests using the “block-on-ring” procedures described in the ASTM G77 standard. Wear results are interpreted in terms of coating residual stresses and in terms of x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses.     

Effect of flame conditions on abrasive wear performance of HVOF sprayed nanostructured WC-12Co coatings

Nanostructured WC-12Co coatings were deposited by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying with an agglomerated powder. The effect of flame conditions on the microstructure of the nanostructured coatings was investigated. The wear properties of the coatings were characterized using a dry rubber-wheel wear test. The results show that the nanostructured WC-Co coatings consist of WC, W2C, W and an amorphous binder phase. The microstructure of the coating is significantly influenced by the ratio of oxygen flow to fuel flow. Under the lower ratio of oxygen/fuel flow, the nanostructured coating presents a relative dense microstructure and severe decarburization of WC phase occurs during spraying. With increasing ratio of oxygen/fuel flow, the bonding of WC particles in the coating becomes loose resulting from the original structure of feedstock and the decarburization of WC becomes less owing to limited heating to the powder. Both the decarburization of WC particles in spraying and the bonding among WC particles in the coatings affect the wear performance. The examination of the worn surfaces of the nanostructured coatings reveals that the dominant wear mechanisms would be spalling from the interface of WCCo splats when spray particles undergo a limited melting. While the melting state of the spray particles is improved,the dominant wear mechanisms become the plastic deformation and plowing of the matrix and spalling of WC particles from the matrix.     

Correlation between spraying conditions and microcrack density and their influence on thermal cycling life of thermal barrier coatings

It is generally known that the porosity of thermal barrier coatings is essential to guarantee a sufficiently high strain tolerance of the coating during thermal cycling. However, much less is known about the influence of the specific morphology of porosity, such as microcracks and typically larger pores, on the performance of the coatings. Both features are usually formed during plasma spraying of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). In this investigation, the influence of microcracks on the thermal cycling behavior was studied. The amount of microcracks within YSZ thermal barrier coatings was changed by changing the powder-feeding rate. Only small changes of the total porosity were observed. Mercury porosimetry served as a tool to investigate both the amount of microcracks and pores in the coating. Additionally, microcrack densities were determined from metallographical investigations. A linear dependence between the amount of fine pores determined by Hg porosimetry and the crack density was obtained for one set of coatings. Thermal cycling TBC specimens with different microcrack densities were produced and tested in a gas burner test facility. At high surface temperatures (above 1300 °C), failure occurred in the ceramic close to the surface. Under these conditions, the samples with increased horizontal microcrack densities showed a significant increase of thermal cycling life.     

爆炸喷涂CoNiCrAlY-Al2O3涂层的组织及高温耐磨性研究

采用三种爆炸喷涂工艺在SCH19耐热钢基体上制备CoNiCrAlY-Al2O3高温耐磨涂层,借助XRD、SEM和EDS等技术对涂层的组织结构进行分析,并检测涂层的表面粗糙度、显微硬度和高温磨损失重。结果表明,涂层由γ-Ni（Co,Cr）、γ’-Ni3Al和α-Al2O3组成,涂层呈典型的层状结构,适当提高乙炔氧气流量比,可改善涂层的组织结构,并且使其在900℃的高温下具有更优异的耐磨性能。     

Comparison of hardmetal and hard chromium coatings under different tribological conditions

Electroplated hard chromium and thermal spray hardmetal coatings are widely used in a variety of applications for wear protection of component surfaces. The two protective coating types are tested in direct comparison for tribological conditions of dry abrasive wear (Taber Abraser test) and dry oscillating wear load. Oscillating wear tests are carried out both with hardened 100Cr6 steel and alumina balls as counterbody. Different types of hardmetal coatings are imparted. Besides HVOF sprayed coatings also coatings sprayed by an APS gun with axial powder feed are tested. For HVOF spraying besides standard WC/Co(Cr) feedstock also coarse (d₅₀ = 5 μm) and fine carbide feedstock (d₅₀ = 0.8 μm) and ultrafine powders, i.e. 2 μm < d < 12 μm, are considered. Use of ultrafine powders is particularly interesting from the economical point of view, as belt grinding can be sufficient for finishing in many cases. The optimum coating solution for wear protection depends on the specific tribosystem. The choice of feedstock, spraying process, equipment and processing conditions does not only depend on the resultant tribological properties. Therefore simultaneous influence on corrosion protection capability and thermal conductivity might have to be considered.