ASABE Technical Library - Abstract

Abstract. A nickel based matrix reinforced by WC was deposited by plasma spraying equipment on low carbon steel substrates. Different coatings were made with different weight fraction of WC particles ranging from 35% up to 90%. In this paper, the influence of carbide content on the microstructure and abrasive wear resistance of sprayed coating were discussed. The microstructure of the sprayed coatings was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), with attached energy dispersive spectroscopy microprobe. The hardness of the sprayed coating was measured using a Rockwell hardness tester and their friction performance was evaluated by dry sliding wear tester. The results showed that the nickel-based alloy coating presented typical lamellar morphology. The white layer was judged as nickel-wrapped WC particles solidified after melting and the gray lamellar tissue was γ-Ni solid solution. The results further showed that the coating’s hardness increased with the addition of WC particles and the highest hardness reached 81.0 HR15N. However, with the increase of WC content the wear loss increases first and then decreases. As the WC content reaches 70%, the sprayed coating shows the best wear resistant performance.