Thermal-sprayed Fe-10CM3P-7C amorphous coatings possessing excellent corrosion resistance

An alloy of Fe-10Cr-13P-7C was thermally sprayed by three different processes: (1) 80 kW low-pressure plasma spraying (LPPS), (2) high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) spraying, and (3) 250 kW high-energy plasma spraying (HPS). The as-sprayed coating obtained by the LPPS process was composed of an amorphous phase. In contrast, the as-sprayed coatings obtained by the HVOF and HPS processes were a mixture of amorphous and crystalline phases. The as-sprayed coatings showed a high hardness of 700 DPN. A very fine structure composed of ferrite, carbide, and phosphide was formed, producing a maximum hardness of greater than 1000 DPN in the LPPS coating just after crystallization on tempering. The corrosion re-sistance of the amorphous coating was superior to a SUS316L stainless steel coating in 1N H₂SO₄ solution and 1N HC1 solution. Furthermore, the amorphous coating underwent neither general nor pitting corro sion in1NUCI solution and 6% FeCl₃ 6H₂O solution containing 0.05N HCl, whereas the SUS316L stain less steel coating was attacked aggressively.