Isothermal oxidation behavior of HVAF-sprayed Ni and NiCr coatings in H2-H2O environment

Abstract

The formation of a protective chromia scale on stainless steels is known to be suppressed by the presence of water vapor in reducing conditions. Thermal spray coatings present a promising approach to improve the durability of steels by transferring the first line of oxidation attack from the bulk steel to the coating. In the present work, isothermal oxidation behavior of Ni and NiCr coatings deposited by High-Velocity Air Fuel (HVAF) process on 304L stainless steel was investigated at 600°C for 168h. Ar-10%H2-20%H2O was selected as the oxidation environment to study the oxidation behavior of the coatings in a low pO2 environment containing H2 and H2O. BIB/SEM, EDS, and XRD techniques were used to characterize the as-sprayed coatings and to investigate the oxidation mechanisms in the coated samples. Results showed that both Ni and NiCr coatings imparted oxidation protection to the 304L substrate. The chromia-forming 304L steel presented a duplex but non-protective oxide scale comprising of an outer Fe3O4 layer on an inner (Fe, Cr)3O4-spinel oxide. In contrast, the NiCr coating presented superior oxidation behavior due to the formation of a continuous, thin, and slow-growing Cr2O3 scale. The Ni coating, too, protected the substrate owing to limited nucleation and growth of the deleterious NiO scale in the low-oxygen-activity environment.