The objective of this work was to explore iron-based green binders as a potential alternative to cobalt-based binders. WC-FeCrNiMo powders with varying particle sizes (fine 25/5 μm and coarse 45/15 μm) were deposited using HVAF spraying with different nozzle configurations. The standard WC-CoCr powder was deposited for comparison. The microstructure and hardness of the deposited coatings were thoroughly analyzed. Performance evaluation included ball-on-disk sliding wear tests, air jet erosion tests, and corrosion tests.

Hybrid plasma spraying can be utilized to deposit novel coating microstructures by combining the simultaneous injection of a dry coarse powder and a liquid feedstock into the plasma jet. Using this approach, the coating microstructure contains both coarse powder-made splats and a dispersion of fine liquid-made splats. Furthermore, the so-called external feeding hybrid method allows the incorporation of fine particles of materials susceptible to decomposition at high temperatures thanks to the by-passing of the hot plasma jet and deposition of the temperature-sensitive material directly onto the coated surface from a suspension. In this study, microstructures of ceramic coatings with embedded self-fluxing sulfides were studied and the wear resistance of the system was evaluated using the dry sliding pin-on-disc method.

Composite coatings using mixed alloy matrices reinforced with carbon-based solid lubricants as feedstock materials were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying. The aim of the present study was to investigate the tribological characteristics of such coatings exploring potential benefits of CNTs as nano-additive to reduce friction and wear, improving lubrication conditions during operation in tribosystems, such as piston ring – cylinder liner systems. The chemical composition of feedstock materials and the thermal spray parameters during coatings deposition are correlated to friction coefficient and wear rate using pin-on-disk measurements. The developed coatings hybrid behaviour is studied. Co-based cermet as well as metal alloy anti-wear performance along with the promoted lubrication conditions during operation is revealed. The dependence of the developed coatings quality and performance on the characteristics of the feedstock powder is thoroughly discussed.

Thermally sprayed WC-based hardmetal coatings offer high hardness, good sliding wear and abrasion performance and find large applications in mechanical engineering, valve construction, or offshore applications. WC-Co coatings are mainly produced by high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying (HVOF) from conventional spray feedstock powders. In our previous work, the potential of the suspension-HVOF spraying (S-HVOF) to produce dense-structured WC-12Co coatings has been shown. Significant work was devoted to the development of appropriate aqueous hardmetal suspensions starting from commercially available fine WC and Co raw powders feedstock. This contribution proposes a step forward in the development of the S-HVOF WC-12Co coatings and evaluation of their microstructural and tribological properties. Suspension spraying trials were carried out using gas-fuelled HVOF TopGun system. For comparison purposes, liquid-fuelled HVOF K2 was employed to spray WC-12Co coatings starting from commercial available spray powder. Microstructural characterization, X-Ray diffraction and microhardness of the coatings were evaluated. Oscillating sliding wear tests were conducted against sintered Al 2 O 3 and WC-6Co balls. The sliding wear performances of the WC-Co sprayed coatings were discussed in term of the microstructure, phase composition and coating-ball test couples.

Deposition of hybrid plasma-sprayed coatings employing both dry powder and liquid feedstocks enables preparation of innovative coating architectures. Using this technique, miniature domains of additional (secondary) material may be introduced via the liquid feedstock route into the more conventional powder-deposited coating, providing potential benefits for the coating functionality. In this contribution, we have explored the tribological properties of hybrid coatings sprayed from alumina powder with additions of chromia (Cr 2 O 3 ), zirconia (ZrO 2 ), yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), and titania (TiO 2 ) delivered from liquid feedstocks. The coatings were subjected to dry sliding wear testing and a subsequent analysis of the wear tracks to determine their wear resistance and coefficient of friction, as well as a qualitative assessment of the wear mechanisms. The hybrid coating doped with the chromia addition matched the remarkable wear resistance of highly-dense suspension-sprayed coatings. This is a significant result, especially when considering the order of magnitude better production efficiency of the hybrid coatings.

The use of nanoscale WC grain or finer feedstock particles are two possible methods of improving the properties and performance of WC-Co-Cr coatings. Finer powders are being pursued for the development of coating internal surfaces, as less thermal energy is required to melt the finer powder compared to coarse powders, permitting spraying at smaller stand-off distances. Three WC-10Co-4Cr coatings, with two different particle sizes and two different carbide grain sizes, were sprayed using a high velocity oxy-air fuel (HVOAF) thermal spray system developed by Monitor Coatings Ltd. in the UK. The powder and coating microstructure were characterised using XRD and SEM. Fracture toughness and dry sliding wear performance were investigated using a ball-on-disc tribometer with a WC counter-body. It was found that the finer powder had a higher hardness but relatively lower fracture toughness. When performing sliding wear testing at the lower 96N load the nanostructured coating performed best; however at 240N this coating was displayed the highest specific wear rates, with the other two powders performing to a similar, better standard.

This study compares the wear performance of thermally sprayed iron coatings with that of electrolytic hard chrome (EHC) plating. Three Fe-based alloy powders (FeSP529, FeSP586, 6AB) were deposited on S355 structural steel plates by HVOF and HVAF spraying and the resulting coatings and plating samples were subjected to dry sliding wear tests using a block-on-ring setup. Wear maps for all three Fe-based powder alloys are similar, showing regions of plasticity dominated wear, wear transition, and oxidational wear as a function of sliding velocity. More importantly, the wear rates of the sprayed coatings were ten times lower than those of the EHC plating samples.

This work investigates the sliding wear resistance of alumina coatings deposited on stainless steel substrates by HVOF and air plasma spraying, using fine (1-5 μm) and conventional (10-45 μm) powders. Sliding wear tests were carried out using a sintered WC-Co ball as the counter-body and the wear tracks were examined to obtain a better understanding of wear mechanisms. HVOF coatings showed an order of magnitude improvement in wear resistance compared to their APS counterparts. The disparity in wear performance is correlated to differences in phase composition, porosity, hardness, and fracture toughness as revealed by SEM and XRD analysis and nanoindentation testing. The development of tribofilms and their role in wear behavior is also discussed.

This study assesses the microstructure and mechanical properties of tungsten boride (WB) powder and cemented carbide coatings with WB additions. HVOF-sprayed layers produced from 60WC-30WB-10Co composite powders are compared with conventional 88WC-22Co and 86WC-10Co-4Cr coatings based on phase composition, hardness, wear resistance, and wear surface structure. The results indicate that Co reacts with WB during spraying, forming ternary phases (WCoB, W 2 CoB 2 ) that increase hardness as well as sliding wear resistance.

Lowering the thermal energy and increasing the kinetic energy of sprayed particles by newly developed HVAF systems can significantly reduce material decarburization, and increases sliding wear and corrosion resistance of hard metal coatings, making HVAF coatings attractive both economically and environmentally over its HVOFs predecessors. Two agglomerated and sintered feedstock powder chemistries, respectively WC-Co (88/12) and WC-CoCr (86/10/4), with increasing primary carbides grain size from 0.2 to 4.0 microns, have been deposited by the latest HVAF-M3 process onto carbon steel substrates. Respective dry sliding wear behaviours and friction coefficients were evaluated at room temperature via Ball-on-disk (ASTM G99-90) wear tests against Al 2 O 3 counterparts, and via Pin-on-disk (ASTM G77-05) wear tests against modified martensitic steel counterparts in both dry and lubricated conditions. Sliding wear mechanisms, with formation of wavy surface morphology and brittle cracking, are discussed regarding the distribution and size of primary carbides. Corrosion behaviours were evaluated via standard Neutral Salt Spray (NSS), Acetic Acid Salt Spray (AASS), accelerated corrosion test and electrochemical polarization test at room temperature. Optimization of coating tribological properties are discussed regarding the suitable selection of primary carbide size for different working load applications.

High-temperature tribology plays an important role in many engineering applications such as metal forming operations and aerospace industry. Several problems in hot-metal forming of high strength steels occur such as oxidation of tool and workpiece surfaces, increased wear of tools and scaling of workpiece. Moreover, operations at elevated temperatures can significantly influence frictional behavior of tool steels. Present research attempts to analyze experimentally and understand tribological behavior of AISI H11 and AISI H13 under dry conditions at room temperatures. High velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermal spray NiCrBSi coating was developed on tool steels. The room-temperature wear performance of uncoated and coated tool steels was evaluated on pin-on-disc tribometer in the laboratory. In-depth analysis of exposed as-sprayed samples was examined with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS).

This study investigates the effects of operating environment and temperature on the friction behavior of self-mated WC-CoCr coatings in sliding contact. Nickel superalloy substrates were coated with 86WC-10Co-4Cr powder using a warm spray gun. Coating cross-sections and surfaces were examined by SEM, XRD, EDX, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Tribological tests were conducted on a high-load tribometer at various temperatures in air, nitrogen gas, and distilled water. Test samples were examined by SEM and XPS, revealing wear patterns and elemental compositions while providing insights on oxide formation.

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 Al 2 O 3 ceramic ball as the wear counterpart. During testing, different wear mechanisms were identified and the processes were recorded in short video streams.

HVOF-sprayed WC–10wt%Co–4wt.%Cr coatings were obtained using experimental feedstock powders (manufactured by spray-drying + sintering), containing nanometric carbide particles. Three reference coatings were also deposited using commercially-available powders containing sub-micrometric carbide particles. The coatings obtained from nanostructured powders, although affected by decarburisation phenomena, contained very fine carbide particles (~200 nm size). Those obtained from commercially-available powders simultaneously exhibited sub-micrometric (~400 nm size) and micrometric carbide particles, and were much less decarburised. Sliding wear tests performed at room temperature against sintered Al 2 O 3 balls showed the occurrence of brittle fracture wear (detachment of near-surface material by local brittle cracking) on the nanostructured coatings, which were embrittled by decarburisation. The reference coatings, by contrast, exhibited either ductile wear behaviour (plastic deformation, pull-out of single carbide particles) or a mix of both ductile and brittle wear mechanisms. When the decarburisation of the nanostructured coatings was not too extensive, their wear loss was comparable to that of the reference ones. At 500 °C, the wear behaviour of all coatings was dominated by abrasive grooving, on account of thermal softening. The most decarburised nanostructured coatings, however, still experienced brittle cracking as well.

High velocity oxygen fuel has been used as fabrication technique for manufacturing aluminium coatings reinforced with different weight percents of silicon carbide particles on Mg-Zn alloys used as substrates. The aim of the investigation is to improve the tribological performance of the ZE41A magnesium alloy. The parameters of the thermal projection system have been optimized in order to maximize the SiC particles incorporation in the aluminium matrix of the coating. Pin-on-disc tests were developed to characterize the tribological behavior of the different specimens. Minor degradation of the magnesium alloy was achieved after . Composite coatings with thicknesses of about 120 µm, reinforced with about 10 wt.% and with high adhesion to the substrate were achieved. After the coating parameters were optimized, the wear rate of the magnesium with the composite coatings decreased by two orders of magnitude in comparison to that of the uncoated magnesium alloy.

The HVOF sprayed wear resistant hardmetal coatings with favourable sliding properties are suitable for increasing the lifetime of sliding applications, such as pistons of combustion engines, pumps and other hydraulic devices. In practice, the coatings face the problem of their interaction with other media, in the case of sliding wear usually lubricants. In the paper, the friction properties of five different HVOF sprayed coatings are evaluated by pin-on-disk test according to ASTM G-99 under dry and lubricated conditions and lubricated block-of-ring test according to ASTM G77. Several types of lubricants designed for combustion engines were used to compare their influence on coatings sliding wear behavior. Based on the results, the suitability of coatings for the application on the engines parts is discussed and the effect of counterpart material and different types of lubricants on the coefficient of friction and coatings wear rate is analyzed. It was confirmed, that the CrC-based coating are more suitable for the application under the condition corresponding to combustion engines, e.g. elevated temperature and steel counterpart, than the WC-based coatings. From the group of CrC-based coatings, the superior behavior was observed at the CrC-CoNiCrAlY coating, the matrix material of which offers further enhancement of the sliding wear behavior.

WC-CoCr coatings are deposited by HVOF process for improving surface resistance of low alloyed steels. In this study we examined the wear characteristics of WC-CoCr coatings on low alloyed steel substrate under different test conditions, using a sliding wear test unit with abrasive ball. In experimental studies discussed the effects of test load, temperature, work medium and sliding distance on the wear characteristics of coatings. Weight loss, wear track depth and width were observed . It was found that the weight loss of coatings increased in dry medium conditions. Wear weight loss was significantly reduced in lubricated condition due to decreasing friction. The wear track surface profile changed with lubrication and increasing temperature in test conditions. Under the base oil lubricated conditions the WC-CoCr coating performed well.

This paper describes an inner diameter HVOF spraying technique and associated tests methods. In the experiments, WC-CoCr was applied to an internal diameter of 150 mm and evaluated using a dedicated pin-on-disk wear test and standard axial fatigue tests. The results are presented and discussed along with the potential for further development of the inner diameter HVOF spraying technique.

This study compares the tribological performance of HVOF and HVSFS coatings applied to gray cast iron and aluminum cylinder liners. Five different materials, including Fe alloy, FeCrMo, CrC-NiCr, NiCrBSi, and WC-Co, were sprayed using a conventional HVOF torch operated by a six-axis robot while the liners were manipulated by means of a rotary table. A similar setup was used to spray TiO 2 -TiC coatings, but the gun was modified for nano-sized particles in a suspension fed axially into the combustion chamber. Coating microstructures were examined using optical and SEM imaging and friction and wear properties were determined through oscillating friction wear tests. The results obtained are compared to state-of-the-art cylinder liners.

Iron aluminides have been lately proposed as promising materials for wear applications. Many authors have focused their investigations on the friction behaviour of FeAl coatings emphasizing the role of this intermetallic as a new matrix to embed ceramic particles and replace for high temperature the extensively studied WC-Co cermet system. However, few works deal with the evaluation of the different tribological properties and their relationship with the coating microstructure. Thus, in the present study, the near stoichometric Fe40Al was successfully sprayed by means of HVOF using different spraying parameters and the tribological behaviour was assessed through solid particle erosion, abrasive and dry sliding tests. The wear mechanisms that took place in the produced coatings are discussed with regard to the obtained results. The friction coefficient versus sliding distance was obtained. In addition, isothermally treated samples in air were tested showing both lower friction coefficient and lower wear rate.