Influence of Ni Content on the Wear Resistance of B₄C-Ni Coatings Sprayed by APS

B₄C-Ni powders ranging in content from 5-60 wt% Ni were fabricated by pressurized hydrogen reduction and deposited on mild carbon steel substrates by air plasma spraying. The microstructure, morphology, and phase composition of the powders and coatings were evaluated by means of SEM and XRD analysis. The influence of Ni content on coating microstructure, fretting wear resistance, hardness, and adhesive strength was investigated in detail. The results show that Ni affects fretting wear resistance, which was found to be highest in the coating with 40 wt% nickel. The B₄C-40Ni coating also proved superior in terms hardness, porosity, and friction coefficient, although its adhesive strength was the lowest.