Research of surface layer properties of piston rings after gas thermal spraying

Abstract

Today, one of the important problems of mechanical engineering is to increase the reliability and durability of machines. A special place in this matter is occupied by increasing the wear resistance of parts. As for diesel construction, the problem of increasing the hardness and wear resistance of piston rings is very important. Goal. The goal is study of the structure and nature of changes in the hardness of the surface layer obtained by gas-thermal combined spraying, after grinding, running-in and mileage of the diesel engine, i. e., at all stages of the production cycle. Methodology. The coating on the rings was applied by the method of two-wire metallization with independent supply of wires made of 11X18M steel and molybdenum. Metallographic analysis was used to study the structure of the obtained coating. The condition of the surface layer after coating, grinding, running-in and diesel run was studied by measuring the microhardness. Results. Metallographic analysis of the interface between steel and molybdenum coating – cast iron for many rings and different parts of one ring shows that the coating interacts closely with the substrate along the entire application profile. The structure of molybdenum particles demonstrates their fineness. This is due to the fact that the rapid crystallization under pressure contributes to the creation of a fine-grained structure. Comparison of the microhardness of molybdenum and steel wires with steel-molybdenum coating indicates a significant strengthening of molybdenum and steel particles during spraying, due to the processes of structure formation. Experimental data indicate the stability of the hardness of both molybdenum particles and steel particles, which is important for the coating in operation. Originality. Features of formation of a gas-thermal covering at a simultaneous electric arc spraying of molybdenum and 11Х18М steel on piston rings from pig-iron are established. It is shown that a layered structure is formed, which consists mainly of steel and molybdenum particles. The reasons for the wide range of properties of steel and molybdenum particles have been clarified. It is proved that the operational properties of steel-molybdenum coating are due to its antifriction properties, porosity, which provides self-lubrication of the friction surface, good adhesion to the substrate, which increases by 3–4 times compared to traditional methods. Practical value. The proposed technology of gas-thermal spraying significantly increases the service life of piston rings operating in wear conditions.