Yazhe Xing

Microstructure and mechanical properties of alumina coatings plasma-sprayed at different substrate temperatures

Alumina coatings are prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying through controlling the substrate temperature during spraying. The changes in microstructure and mechanical properties of the coatings prepared at different substrate temperatures are examined. The hardness and the elastic modulus of the coatings are measured by indentation methods. The results show that interlamellar bonding in the coatings is significantly improved with increasing the substrate temperature. Moreover, long through-thickness columnar grains form in the coatings when the substrate temperature reaches above 430°C. As a result, the cross-sectional hardness and the elastic modulus perpendicular to the coating surface increase with increasing the substrate temperature.

Microstructure and corrosion resistance of Fe/Mo composite amorphous coatings prepared by air plasma spraying

Fe/Mo composite coatings were prepared by air plasma spraying (APS) using Fe-based and Mo-based amorphous and nanocrystalline mixed powders. Microstructural studies show that the composite coatings present a layered structure with low porosity due to adding the self-bonded Mo-based alloy. Corrosion behaviors of the composite coatings, the Fe-based coatings and the Mo-based coatings were investigated by electrochemical measurements and salt spray tests. Electrochemical results show that the composite coatings exhibit a lower polarization current density and higher corrosion potentials than the Fe-based coating when tested in 3.5wt% NaCl solutions, indicating superior corrosion resistance compared with the Fe-based coating. Also with the increase in addition of the Mo-based alloy, a raised corrosion resistance, inferred by an increase in corrosion potential and a decrease in polarization current density, can be found. The results of salt spray tests again show that the corrosion resistance is enhanced by adding the Mo-based alloy, which helps to reduce the porosity of the composite coatings and enhance the stability of the passive films.

Abrasive wear behavior of cast iron coatings plasma-sprayed at different mild steel substrate temperatures

Three kinds of cast iron coatings were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying. During the spraying, the mild steel substrate temperature was controlled to be averagely 50, 180, and 240°C, respectively. Abrasive wear tests were conducted on the coatings under a dry friction condition. It is found that the abrasive wear resistance is enhanced with the substrate temperature increasing. SEM observations show that the wear losses of the coatings during the wear tests mainly result from the spalling of the splats. Furthermore, the improved wear resistance of the coatings mainly owes to the formation of oxides and the enhancement in the mechanical properties with the substrate temperature increasing.

The corrosion behaviours of plasma-sprayed Fe-based amorphous coatings

ABSTRACT Fe-based amorphous coatings are increasingly recognised as promising candidates for the protection of coal-fired boilers against corrosion. The present study prepared Fe-based amorphous coatings on a T91 substrate by plasma spraying technology. The corrosion behaviour of the coating in hot Na2SO4 + K2SO4 salts at 700°C was investigated, and measurements of the mean mass gain were performed after each cycle to establish the hot corrosion kinetics of the coatings using the thermogravimetric technique. The coated specimens, especially specimens with 380-μm-thick coatings, exhibited lower mean gain rates at all operating cycles as compared to the uncoated T91 samples. The highest hot corrosion resistance was a result of the amorphous composite microstructure and high Cr and Ni elemental contents, which contributed to the formation of the protective oxides of chromium and nickel such as Cr2O3, NiO and NiCr2O4.

Effect of laser remelting on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of plasma sprayed Fe-based coating

Fe-based amorphous and nanocrystalline coatings were fabricated by air plasma spraying. The coatings were further treated by laser remelting process to improve their microstructure and properties. The corrosion resistance of the as-sprayed and laser-remelted coatings in 3.5wt% NaCl and 1 mol/L HCl solutions was evaluated by electrochemical polarization analysis. It was found that laser-remelted coating appeared much denser than the as-sprayed coating. However, laser-remelted coating contains much more nanocrystalline grains than the as-sprayed coatings, resulting from the lower cooling rate in laser remelting process compared with plasma spraying process. Electrochemical polarization results indicated that the laser-remelted coating has great corrosion resistance than the as-sprayed coating because of its dense structure.

Improvements in Microstructure and Wear Resistance of Plasma-Sprayed Fe-Based Amorphous Coating by Laser-Remelting

Amorphous coating technology is an attractive way of taking advantage of the superior properties of amorphous alloys for structural applications. However, the limited bonds between splats within the plasma-sprayed coatings result in a typically lamellar and porous coating structure. To overcome these limitations, the as-sprayed coating was treated by a laser-remelting process. The microstructure and phase composition of two coatings were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The wear resistance of the plasma-sprayed coating and laser-remelted coating was studied comparatively using a pin-on-disc wear test under dry friction conditions. It was revealed that the laser-remelted coating exhibited better wear resistance because of its defect-free and amorphous-nanocrystalline composited structure.

Evaluation of microstructure and wear properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy plasma carbonized at different temperatures

Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) alloys were plasma carbonized at different temperatures (900, 950, and 1 000 °C) for duration of 3 h. Graphite rod was employed as carbon supplier to avoid the hydrogen brittleness which is ubiquitous in traditional gas carbonizing process. Two distinguished structures including a thin compound layer (carbides layer) and a thick layer with the mixed microstructure of TiC and the α-Ti in carburing layer were formed during carburizing. Furthermore, it was found that the microstructure and the properties of TC4 alloy were significantly related to the carbonizing temperature. The specimen plasma carbonized at 950 °C obtained maximum value both in the hardness and wear resistance.

Wear Resistance and Bond Strength of Plasma Sprayed Fe/Mo Amorphous Coatings

Fe-based and Fe/Mo composite amorphous coatings were deposited on the surface of plain carbon steel substrates by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). With increasing the Mo alloy content, the microstructure of the coatings revealed more dense structure. The porosities of composite coating were all less than those of Fe-based coating due to Mo alloy self-bonding performance. The ML-10 friction and wear tester was employed to investigate the wear behaviors of the coatings under dry sliding conditions. It was found that the mass loss of the resultant coatings decreased with increasing Mo-based powders into the feedstock. This was attributed to the reduction of the delaminations resulting from improved intersplat bond with Mo addition.

Effects of heat-treatment on crystallization and wear property of plasma sprayed Fe-based amorphous coatings

The Fe-based amorphous coatings were produced by air plasma spraying. The as-sprayed coatings were heat-treated at the temperature of 573, 873, and 1 023 K, respectively. The crystallization and wear behavior of the heat-treated amorphous coatings were investigated. It was found that the amorphous-nanocrystalline transformation appeared when the as-sprayed coatings were treated at 853 K. The crystallization process had completed and a coating with microcrystallines was formed when the treatment temperature reached 1 023 K. The resultant amorphous and nanocrystalline composite coatings exhibited superior wear resistance compared to crystalline coating. It is attributed to fine grain strengthening of formed nanocrystallines.