Development of Iron Based Wire Feedstocks and Their Processing by Electric Arc Spraying

Iron-based wire feedstocks represent a technical as well as economical alternative to carbide reinforced feedstocks for wear protection applications. To assess the potential of such feedstocks, iron-based cored wires were developed with up to 6 wt% boron. The feedstocks were deposited by electric arc spraying, forming hard, partially amorphous coatings with embedded nanocrystalline boride precipitations. To further improve wear resistance, chromium carbide was blended into the powder filling in some wires. Coatings produced from all feedstocks were evaluated by means of optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and microhardness measurements.