Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt Coatings for Industrial Applications

This paper compares the coating characteristics of two HVOF processes: air-cooled converging-nozzle Diamond Jet (DJ) spraying and Hybrid 2600 air/water-cooled converging/diverging technology. WC-Co coatings were deposited on steel substrates using different combinations of spray parameters, gas flow ratios, and cooling gas types. The coatings were then examined and tested to determine the extent to which microstructure, hardness, surface roughness, wear resistance, and deposition efficiency can be controlled. In addition to investigating process relationships, the paper also addresses the issues of practicality and cost.