Preparation and Characterization of NiCr/NiCr-Al2O3/Al2O3 Multilayer Gradient Coatings by Gas Detonation Spraying

This paper investigates the influence of the technological parameters of detonation spraying on the phase composition of NiCr- and Al2O3-based coatings. It was determined that the phase composition of Al2O3 coatings during detonation spraying strongly depends on the barrel filling volume with the gas mixture. The acetylene–oxygen mixture, which is the most frequently used fuel in the detonation spraying of powder materials, was used as a fuel gas. To obtain a ceramic layer based on Al2O3, spraying was performed at an acetylene–oxygen O2/C2H2 mixture ratio of 1.856; the volume of filling of the detonation gun barrel with an explosive gas mixture was 63%. To obtain a NiCr-based metallic layer, spraying was performed at the O2/C2H2 ratio of 1.063; the volume of filling of the detonation gun barrel with an explosive gas mixture was 54%. Based on a study of the effect of the detonation spraying mode on the phase composition of NiCr and Al2O3 coatings, NiCr/NiCr-Al2O3/Al2O3-based multilayer coatings were obtained. Mixtures of NiCr/Al2O3 powders with different component ratios were used to obtain multilayer gradient coatings. The structural-phase composition, mechanical and tribological properties of multilayer gradient metal–ceramic coatings in which the content of the ceramic phase changes smoothly along the depth were experimentally investigated. Three-, five- and six-layer gradient coatings were obtained by alternating metallic (NiCr) and ceramic (Al2O3) layers. The phase composition of all coatings was found to correspond to the removal of information from a depth of 20–30 μm. It was determined that the five-layer gradient coating, consisting of the lower metal layer (NiCr), the upper ceramic layer (Al2O3) and the transition layer of the mechanical mixture of metal and ceramics, is characterized by significantly higher hardness (15.9 GPa), wear resistance and adhesion strength.

Influence of Detonation-Spraying Parameters on the Phase Composition and Tribological Properties of Al2O3 Coatings

Al2O3 coatings were applied on the surface of 12Ch18N10T steel by the detonation method at different degrees of filling of the detonation gun. The aim was to study the influence of technological parameters on the formation of the coating’s structure, phase composition and tribological characteristics. The degree of filling the gun with a gas mixture (C2H2/O2) varied from 53% to 68%. X-ray diffraction study showed that the content of α-Al2O3 increases depending on the degree of filling. The results showed that the hardness increases with an increase in the α-Al2O3 phase. When the gun is 53% filled with gas, the Al2O3-based coating has the hardness of 20.56 GPa compared to 58%, 63% and 68% fillings. Tribology tests have shown that the wear rate and friction coefficient of the coating is highly dependent on the degree of filling of the gun.

Investigation on Microstructural Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Thermally Sprayed Fe-Base Composites Reinforced with Different Ceramic Particulates

Three different coatings were deposited using the Detonation Gun Spraying (DGS) technology from steel powders alone; and steel powers mixed with Fe3C and SiC particles; respectively. The microstructural characteristics of these coatings were examined and the hardness of each type of coating was studied. The morphology and structure of the feedstock powders were affected by the exposure to high temperature during the spraying process and rapid solidification of steel powders that resulted in the formation of an amorphous structure. The unreinforced steel coating had the highest hardness among the three types of coatings; possibly due to a higher degree of amorphization in the coating compared to the other two samples. The microstructural observation confirmed the formation of dense coatings with a layered structure with good connectivity between layers with minimum defects and porosities in the interfacial regions.

Structural Features and Tribological Properties of Detonation Gun Sprayed Ti–Si–C Coating

The paper considers the research results of structural-phase state and tribological characteristics of detonation coatings based on Ti–Si–C, obtained at different filling volumes of the explosive gas mixture barrel of a detonation gun. The results analysis indicates that the phase composition and properties of detonation coatings strongly depend on the technological parameters of spraying. With an increase of the explosive mixture in the filling volume of the detonation barrel up to 70% of the coatings consist mainly of the TiC phase, because high temperature leads to a strong decomposition of Ti3SiC2 powders. Thus, the XRD results confirm that at 70% of the explosive gas mixture’s filling volume, partial decomposition and disintegration of the powders occurs after detonation spraying. We established that detonation coatings based on titanium carbosilicide obtained at the explosive gas mixture’s filling volume at 60% are characterized by high wear resistance and adhesive strength. Thermal annealing was performed after spraying in the temperature range of 700–900 °C for 1 h to reduce microstructural defects and improve the Ti–Si–C coating characteristics. As a result of the heat treatment in the Ti–Si–C system at 800 °C, we observed that an increase in the volume fraction of the Ti3SiC2 and TiO2 phases led to a 2-fold increase in microhardness. This means that the after-heat-treatment can provide a sufficient reaction time for the incomplete reaction of the Ti–Si–C (TSC) coating during the detonation gun spraying. Thus, annealing can provide an equal distribution of elements in the coatings.

Room- and high temperature Wear Resistance of MCrAlY Coatings Deposited by Detonation Gun (D-gun) and Supersonic Plasma Spraying (SSPS) Techniques

In this study, CoNiCrAlY metallic coatings were deposited on an Inconel 718 nickel-based superalloy substrate material using the detonation gun (D-gun) and supersonic plasma spraying (SSPS) techniques. The microstructural and mechanical properties in addition to their room and high temperature wear behavior of the produced coatings were evaluated. The wear tests were performed at room temperature (rt), 250 and 500 °C using 2N and X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses of the worn coatings were performed to assess their wear performance. The coatings produced with D-gun process exhibited higher hardness and lower porosity (550 ± 50 HV0.25 hardness and 1.2 ± 1.0% porosity) than SSPS coatings (with 380 ± 30 HV0.25 hardness and 1.5 ± 1.0% porosity) which resulted in better room- and high temperature wear performance for D-gun coatings. The worn surfaces of both coatings exhibited formation of tribological layers and superficial microstructural changes by varying temperature and load conditions. Increasing load and temperature resulted in increased wear loss whereas increasing temperature resulted in reduced COF values for both coatings.