Synthesis and Characterization of Nanostructured NiCrFeSiB HVOF Coating

The nickel based as-atomized thermal spray feedstock powder (NiCrFeSiB) was ball milled to produce the nanostructured powder. The feedstock powder was mechanically milled using two station planetary ball-mill. The milled and unmilled feedstock powders were coated using High-velocity oxygen fuel system to produce nanostructured and conventional coatings respectively on the carbon steel substrate (SA210 Grade C). The metallurgical characterization of feedstock powders and coatings were performed using scanning electron microscope, High resolution- transmission electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The developed coatings were mechanically characterized by microhardness test and bond strength measurement techniques. The porosity of the coating was measured by analyzing the optical microscope image using the image-J software. In this study, nanostructured coatings exhibited higher hardness, less porous and better bond strength compared to conventional coating.