The Structure and Bond Strength of Composite Carbide Coatings (WC-Co + Ni) Deposited on Ductile Cast Iron by Thermal Spraying

Abstract

An investigation was conducted to determine the role of Ni particles in the WC-Co coating produced with the supersonic method on microstructure, mechanical, and wear properties in a system of type: WC-Co coating/ductile cast iron. The microstructure of the thermal-sprayed WC-Co + Ni coating was characterized by scanning electron and transmission electron microscopes as well as the analysis of chemical and phase composition in microareas (EDS, XRD). The microstructure of the WC-Co + Ni coating consisted of large, partially molten Ni particles and very fine grains of WC embedded in cobalt matrix, coming to the size of nanocrystalline. Moreover, the results were discussed in reference to examination of bending strength considering cracking and delamination in the system of (WC-Co + Ni)/ductile cast iron as well as hardness and wear resistance of the coating. It was found that the addition of Ni particles was significantly increase resistance to cracking and wear behavior in the studied system.