Corrosion and erosion behavior of iron aluminide (FeAl(Cr)) coating deposited by detonation spray technique

The electrochemical corrosion and erosion behavior of FeAlCr coating was reported in this article. The FeAlCr coatings were deposited by detonation spray coating system (DSC) by utilizing the gas atomized powder with a nominal composition of Fe-12Al-5Cr at two different pulse frequencies on mild steel (MS) substrate. Feedstock and coatings were characterized using XRD, SEM and elemental mapping. Nanoindentation tests using a Berkovich indenter indicate a hardness of 5.5 GPa and 4.9 GPa for the coatings deposited at 3 Hz and 6 Hz respectively as compared to 1.5 GPa of the substrate. Electrochemical corrosion tests were performed on coated samples in 3.5 wt% NaCl and 2 N H₂SO₄ media and are compared with the bulk MS substrate. Detonation pulse frequency significantly influenced the coating microstructure and corrosion performance. The coating deposited at a frequency of 6 Hz exhibited higher resistance against electrochemical corrosion in 3.5 wt% NaCl medium than the coating that was deposited at 3 Hz frequency. Solid particle erosion tests performed at room temperature (25 °C) and an impingement angle of 90° (normal incidence) using Al₂O₃ as the erodent medium demonstrate a higher erosion loss of the coatings than the bulk MS. On the contrary, at a temperature of 400 °C, the coatings exhibited notably better erosion resistance than the MS substrate, illustrating the potential of FeAlCr coatings for high temperature wear-corrosion resistant applications.