In Situ Wear Test on Thermal Spray Coatings in a Large Chamber Scanning Electron Microscope

A special pin-on-disc test setup designed for vacuum environments was used to conduct wear tests in a large chamber scanning electron microscope. Arc-sprayed NiCrBSi and HVOF-sprayed WC-12Co coatings were tested using a pin with an Al₂O₃ ceramic ball as the wear counterpart. During testing, different wear mechanisms were identified and the processes were recorded in short video streams.