Abstract

Surface remelting is an important technique for modifying the microstructure of thermally sprayed coatings as it reduces the porosity and promotes a metallurgical bond between substrate and coating. Many studies have been carried out in the field of materials selection and surface engineering in an attempt to reduce cavitation damage. In this work, an Fe-Mn-Cr-Si alloy was deposited by arc spraying and then remelted by a plasma-transferred arc process. The base metal was a soft martensitic stainless steel. The influence of remelting current on coating and base metal microstructure and cavitation resistance was studied. The use of a lower mean current and a pulsed arc reduced the thickness of the heat-affected zone. In specimens remelted with constant arc current, dendrites were aligned parallel to the path followed by the plasma torch; while in those remelted with a pulsed plasma arc, the alignment of the microstructure was disrupted. The use of a higher peak current in pulsed-current plasma transferred arc remelting reduced mass loss due to cavitation. Fe-Mn-Cr-Si coatings exhibited cavitation-induced hardening, with martensite formation during cavitation tests. This transformation helps to increase the cavitation resistance of the remelted coating compared with the soft martensitic stainless steel base metal.

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