Structure and properties of detonation gun sprayed coatings from the synthesized FeAlSi/Al2O3 powder

Abstract

Structure and properties of detonation gun sprayed (DS) coatings from the synthesized FeAlSi/Al2O3 powder have been investigated. The powder was manufactured through a mechanically assisted self-propagating high-temperature synthesis route. A small addition of nanosized SiO2 particles to the reaction mixture for the synthesis of FeAl-FeAl2 eutectoid refines the thickness of B2-FeAl lamellar grains in the synthesized powder. Silicon arisen from the aluminothermic reduction of SiO2 during the synthesis is preferentially located in the B2-phase. High-quality coatings with porosity less than 1 vol% and nanocomposite structure have been obtained from the synthesized powder using a computer-aided ‘Perun-S’ detonation gun complex. Phase composition of the coatings includes B2-FeAl, hercinite FeAl2O4, FeAl2, A2-Fe-based solid-solution, Al2O3, and probably complex Fe2.95Si0.05O4 oxide. It is formation of nanocomposite structure with the mean crystallite size of main components in the range of ≈9–15 nm that seems to be responsible for the lower microhardness of the coatings from the FeAlSi/Al2O3 powder than that of the basic Fe-Al eutectoid composition. As-sprayed coatings from the synthesized FeAlSi/Al2O3 powder demonstrate good room and elevated temperature erosion behavior. Oxide dominated erosion with mixed brittle-ductile wear behavior is thought to occur in the coatings at 550 °C. The proposed powder modification is found to be beneficial for the oxidation resistance of DS coatings in air at 950 °C. Promoting of alumina formation during oxidation and the corresponding decline in Fe2O3 content in the oxide scale are considered as the main reasons for the slower oxidation kinetics of the FeAlSi/Al2O3 coatings as compared with those of the basic Fe-Al eutectoid composition.