Fracture Toughness of Hard Coatings Applied by Flame Spray Process Using Flexicord Feedstock

In this study, Vickers indentation testing is used to determine the fracture toughness of hard flame spray coatings produced from cored-wire feedstocks, including WC-10Co4Cr, 75CrCo-25NiCr, and WC-12Co. Average measured values are compared with fracture toughness values calculated from seven different equations found in the literature in order to validate the experimental results and to better understand the relationship between fracture toughness and coating hardness for each of the tested materials.