Optimizing High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel-Sprayed WC–17Co Coating Using Taguchi Experimental Design to Improve Tribological Properties

Abstract

High-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying is one of the best methods for depositing conventional WC–Co cermets. The aim of the present work was to optimize the WC–17Co coating deposited using HVOF spraying process. Taguchi fractional factorial experimental design (L18) and ANOVA were used to optimize the process parameters. Seven factors (spray distance, oxygen flow rate, carrier gas flow rate, powder feed rate, coating thickness, substrate preheat temperature and grit type) were selected. Grit type had two levels, and the others had three levels. The coating properties measured were wear resistance, microhardness and roughness. Pin-on-disk wear tests were used for measuring wear. Scanning electron micrographs were used to investigate the cross sections of the coatings and the morphology of the as-sprayed coatings, and their relationship between the process parameters and energy-dispersive X-ray was used to analyze the coatings. In Taguchi method, “lower the better” quality was used for optimizing roughness and “higher the better” quality was used for optimizing wear resistance and microhardness. The most influential factor on increasing wear resistance and microhardness was powder feed rate and on reducing the roughness was oxygen flow rate. In addition, the influence of grit type on wear resistance and microhardness and the influences of grit type and substrate preheat temperature on the coating roughness were negligible.