Hardness and microstructure of Cr 3 C 2 -NiCr coating formed by vacuum plasma spraying process (VPS coating) were investigated in compare with that formed by High Velocity Oxygen Fuel Spraying process (HVOF coating). The results are as follows. (1) The hardness of VPS coatings in as sprayed condition was HV1243 ± 80, which was much higher than that of HVOF coatings, HV958±44, and never went down under HV1100 even after heat treatment at 1273K for 3.6ks. (2) VPS coating presents dense lameller structures composed of Cr 2 C 3 , Cr 7 C 3 and γ-NiCr phase, while HVOF coating presents lameller structures with many fine gaps, composed of Cr 2 C 3 , Cr 7 C 3 , γ-NiCr phase and relatively large amounts of Cr 2 O 3 . (3) The reason why such high hardness was obtained in VPS coating, has been considered due to their dense lamella structures.

A hybrid technique that combines plasma spraying and metal diffusion treatment was developed to improve the density, hardness, and adhesion of carbide cermet coatings. In this study, which was conducted to assess the process, Cr3C2-NiCr was deposited on stainless steel substrates by atmospheric plasma spraying. The test specimens were then embedded in a powder mixture of chromium, alumina, and ammonium chloride and diffusion treated. Cross-sectional SEM imaging, X-ray diffraction, and microhardness testing found the resulting surface layer to be extremely dense with outstanding hardness and exceptional bonding strength.

This paper presents the results of a study showing how isothermal aging affects the wear properties of Cr-Ni overlay alloy coatings with dispersed NbC particles. High Cr-high Ni coatings, with and without niobium carbides, were deposited on mild steel substrates via plasma transferred arc welding then age-hardened at temperatures from 773 to 1023 K. The precipitation behavior and wear properties of the coating samples were examined using Vickers hardness testing, SEM, TEM, EDX, XRD, and Ohgoshi wear testing. The results showed that isothermal aging significantly improved the hardness and wear resistance of the NbC-dispersed alloy but had little effect on the NbC-free samples. The difference in precipitation behaviors is probably due to the presence of niobium atoms in the alloy matrix, resulting in a continuous precipitation of α' phase.