Performance of HVOF Nanostructured Titanium Diboride Composite Coatings

This study assesses the wear performance of HVOF-sprayed nanostructured TiB₂ composite coatings and the use of mechanical alloying for powder preparation. In order to prevent the formation of undesired secondary borides, TiB₂ particles are processed with a nickel-base self-fluxing matrix alloy. XRD analysis shows that the minimum average TiB₂ crystal size is 22 nm after high-energy milling and only slightly larger and uniformly distributed after HVOF spraying. The resulting TiB₂ layers are characterized based on morphology and wear behavior and are shown to hold promise for abrasive wear applications. Paper includes a German-language abstract.