Wear properties of WC–Co and WC–CoCr coatings applied by HVOF technique on different steel substrates

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Abstract Low alloy and stainless steel are the most used types of iron-based materials world wide. Their use against in machine element work, reclamation, corrosion and wear resistance are still challenging. To overcome this problem, many steel alloys are coated with cermet coatings to protect the parts from wear and corrosion. In the present study, WC-Co and WC-CoCr coatings were applied by means of a high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) technique on AISI 304, AISI 1040, and AISI 4340 steel alloys used as substrates. The aim was to investigate surface properties and wear resistance of the coatings and to determine their relationship with the type of coating and substrate. In accordance with this purpose, hardness and thickness of the coatings were measured, sliding wear tests were performed, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and X-ray diffractions (XRD) were taken, surface roughness and friction coefficients were determined. The results showed that the WC-CoCr coatings had higher hardness and lower thickness than the WC-Co coatings. Maximum hardness was obtained in the WC-CoCr coating applied to AISI 4340 steel, which was also the hardest alloy among those studied. After wear resistance tests, it was revealed that the wear resistance of the WC-CoCr coatings was better than that of the WC-Co coatings for each steel substrate. During the coating, the new phases resulting from the decomposition of the WC phase in the WC-CoCr coatings contributed more to wear resistance than those of the WC-Co coatings. A lower friction coefficient and lower surface roughness of the WC-CoCr coatings during wear were obtained, resulting in higher wear resistance. A WC-CoCr coating on AISI 4340 alloy which has the highest hardness, lowest surface roughness and lowest friction coefficient resulted in the highest wear resistance among all types studied.