Sliding and abrasive wear resistance of thermal-sprayed WC-CO coatings

We studied the resistance of the coatings to abrasive and unlubricated sliding wear of 40 WC/Co coatings applied by high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF), high-energy plasma spray (HEPS), and high velocity plasma spray (HVPS), using commercial and nanostructured experimental powders. The hardness of the coatings varies from 3 to 13 GPA, which is much lower than that of sintered samples (10 to 23 GPA) because of the porosity of the coatings. Phase analysis by x-ray diffraction revealed various amounts of decarburization in the coatings, some of which contain WC, W₂C, W, and η phase. The abrasive and sliding wear resistance is limited by the hardness of the samples. For a given hardness, the wear resistance is lowered by decarburization, which produces a hard but brittle phase. Nanocarb powders have the shape of thin-walled hollow spheres that heat up rapidly in the gun and are more prone to decarburization than commercial materials. The work shows that, in order to obtain the performance of nanostructured coatings, the powder and spray techniques must be modified.