Abstract
The present study was carried out to evaluate the applicability of the Gas Dynamic Spraying (GDS) of different powder compositions for depositing wear-resistant composite coatings on iron and steel castings. This process, simply known as “cold spray,” utilizes the kinetic energy of particles sprayed at supersonic velocities to produce a bonding of the particles to the substrate. Ni and Cu based coatings containing W, Zn and TiC as reinforcement were made by the low pressure GDS technique and investigated. The coatings microstructures were studied by both optical and scanning electron microscopy. Phase composition, hardness and wear resistance of the GDS coatings were analyzed. The ball-on-disc sliding wear test was used for assessing the wear resistance characteristics of the coatings using a ceramic (Si3N4) ball. W and TiC reinforced coatings showed the best wear performance. These were further evaluated in greater detail. In addition to the obtained test results, the application prospects for such GDS coatings were discussed.
