Investigation of the microstructure and tribological behavior of cold-sprayed tin-bronze-based composite coatings

In this paper, tin-bronze/TiN and tin-bronze/quasicrystal (AlCuFeB) composite coatings were fabricated by cold spray process. Microstructure and microhardness of the prepared coatings were investigated. Ball-on-disc dry sliding wear tests were conducted in an ambient condition to examine the tribological behavior of the composite coatings. The results show that the microhardness and the density of composite coatings increase significantly compared to the pure tin-bronze coating. The friction coefficient of composite coating decreases when reinforcing particles were introduced. Furthermore, the bronze/quasicrystal composite coating has a lower friction coefficient and wear rate than the bronze/TiN coating. Tribological mechanisms of the composite coatings were discussed.     

Characteristics and heat treatment of cold-sprayed Al-Sn binary alloy coatings

In this study, Al-Sn binary alloy coatings were prepared with Al-5 wt.% Sn (Al-5Sn) and Al-10 wt.% Sn (Al-10Sn) gas atomized powders by low pressure and high pressure cold spray process. The microstructure and microhardness of the coatings were characterized. To understand the coarsening of tin in the coating, the as-sprayed coatings were annealed at 150, 200, 250 and 300 °C for 1 h, respectively. The effect of annealing on microstructure and the bond strength of the coatings were investigated. The results show that Al-5Sn coating can be deposited by high pressure cold spray with nitrogen while Al-10Sn can only be deposited by low pressure cold spray with helium gas. Both Al-5Sn and Al-10Sn coatings present dense structures. The fraction of Sn in as-sprayed coatings is consistent with that in feed stock powders. The coarsening and/or migration of Sn phase in the coatings were observed when the annealing temperature exceeds 200 °C. Furthermore, the microhardness of the coatings decreased significantly at the annealing temperature of 250 °C. EDXA analysis shows that the heat treatment has no significant effect on fraction of Sn phase in Al-5Sn coatings. Bonding strength of as-sprayed Al-10Sn coating is slightly higher than that of Al-5Sn coating. Annealing at 200 °C can increase the bonding strength of Al-5Sn coatings.     

Microstructure, microhardness and dry friction behavior of cold-sprayed tin bronze coatings

In this paper, two types of tin bronze coatings (Cu-6 wt.% Sn and Cu-8 wt.% Sn) were prepared by cold spray process. The as-sprayed coatings were subjected to a vacuum heat treatment at 600 °C for 3 h. The coating microstructure, microhardness and tribological performance were characterized. The effects of the tin content and the vacuum heat treatment on the microstructure, microhardness and tribological behavior of the coatings were investigated. It is found that the as-sprayed CuSn6 (As6) and CuSn8 (As8) coatings exhibit practically an identical porosity. Meanwhile, As8 presents a higher microhardness than As6. In addition, the increase of the tin content in the powder feedstock leads to a lower wear rate. After a heat treatment, coating porosities are significantly reduced. However, the coating hardness is significantly decreased and the coating presents a much decreased wear resistance. For the as-sprayed coatings, such factors as ploughing and particle delamination could determine the sliding process. The heat treatment results in a distinct modification of the tribological behavior. For the annealed coatings, the adhesion, between the coating and the counterpart, could play a dominant role in the sliding process.     

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and microhardness of cold-sprayed tin bronze coating

Tin bronze (TB) powder was deposited on a stainless steel substrate by cold spraying. Post-deposition heat treatment was conducted in an electrical resistance furnace under nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 850 °C for 3 h. The effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and microhardness of cold-sprayed TB coating was investigated. It was found that the as-sprayed TB coating presented a dense microstructure. Heat treatment significantly influenced the microstructure and microhardness of cold-sprayed TB coating. A distinguishable diffusion layer of about 150 μm was formed in the coating near the coating/substrate interface. A compound was precipitated in the diffusion layer. The microhardness in the coating was changed gradually along the coating from the interface to the coating surface after heat treatment. The microhardness in the diffusion layer was high owing to the precipitation of hard phase, while it was much low in other area due to the obvious grain growth during annealing.     

Effect of Sn particle size on the intermetallic compound formations of cold sprayed Sn-Ni coatings

Comparative studies on the intermetallic compound (IMC) formations of small (aggregated) and large Sn (irregular) with Ni and Cu in cold gas dynamic sprayed coatings were carried out. The Sn with high purity were selected and prepared as raw materials mixture in order to be sprayed onto Ni and Cu plate-shape substrates. The small particles of Sn (<1 μm) were successfully coated under conventional coating parameters when they are mixed with larger powder materials. And microstructural observation regards to compound formation similarly worked out for both small and large Sn mixture. However, the intermetallic formation behavior was turned out to be different. After post-annealing, the larger Sn particles in the composite coating formed larger amount of IMC with Ni than small Sn although, owing to larger interfacial area, more intensive reactivities were expected. Also, there were significant differences in the size and distribution of eutectic pores as well.     

Effect of α-Al2O3 on the properties of cold sprayed Al/α-Al2O3 composite coatings on AZ91D magnesium alloy

Composite coatings using pure Al powder blended with α-Al₂O₃ as feedstock were deposited on AZ91D magnesium alloy substrates by cold spray (CS). The content of α-Al₂O₃ in the feedstock was 25 wt.% and 50 wt.%, respectively. The effects of α-Al₂O₃ on the porosity, microhardness, adhesion and tensile strength of the coatings were studied. Electrochemical tests were carried out in neutral 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution to evaluate the effect of α-Al₂O₃ on the corrosion behavior of the coatings. The results showed that the composite coatings possessed lower porosity, higher adhesion strength and tensile strength than cold sprayed pure Al coating. The corrosion current densities of the composite coatings were similar to that of the pure Al coating and much higher than that of bare AZ91D magnesium alloy.     

Low infrared emissivity of polyurethane/Cu composite coatings

Polyurethane/Cu composite coatings with low infrared emissivity near to 0.10 at the wavelength of 8-14 μm were prepared by a simple and convenient process. The influences of the content of Cu powder, surface roughness, coating thickness and temperature on infrared emissivity of the coatings were systematically investigated. The results indicated that the emissivity decreases significantly with increasing content of Cu powder and coating thickness. The coatings with smooth surface exhibit lower emissivity values than those with rough coatings. Moreover, we found the relationship between the emissivity of coatings and temperature presents a “U” type, and the emissivity reaches to the minimum at about 380 K. The mechanisms of low emissivity were proposed by optical theories, which are found to be in a good agreement with the experimental results.     

Ni-WC composite coatings by carburizing electrodeposited amorphous and nanocrystalline Ni-W alloys

In situ formation of tungsten carbide in the matrix of FCC nickel has been achieved by carburizing of the electrodeposited Ni-W alloy coatings. The size of the carbide particles ranges between 100 and 500 nm. The carbide phase is also present in the form of very small precipitates inside the nickel grains. The size of such precipitates is between 10 and 40 nm. The carburizing environment was created by introducing a flowing mixture of vaporized 95.5% alcohol (0.25 ml/min, liquid) and argon (0.5 L/min, gas) into the carburizing furnace. Supersaturated nature of electrodeposited amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys, in addition to high diffusivity, have been attributed for the formation of carbide phase in the deposits at a temperature range of 700-850 °C. The carbide-metal interface is clean and the composite coatings are compact. Hardness values up to about 1100 KHN are achieved. Hardness increases with tungsten content and carburizing temperature.     

Cold flame-sprayed and oil-impregnated porous metallic coatings

Porous metallic coatings were prepared from three commercial alloy powders on 16MnCr5 steel by cold flame spraying. The mechanical characterisation of the coatings was performed by Vickers microindentation and debonding tests. Porosity was determined by image analysis of the optical micrographs of the polished cross-sections. The coatings were impregnated with motor oil 15W40 with the aim of preparing a lubricating system. The amounts of oil uptake and release by the coatings were determined under controlled conditions. The surfaces of the coatings were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and wettability studies. The amounts of oil uptake and release showed inverse relationship with the oxygen concentration at the surface and also with the Lifshitz-van der Waals component of surface energy. These relationships offer the possibility of controlling the lubrication properties of cold flame-sprayed and oil-impregnated porous metallic coatings.     

Significant influence of particle surface oxidation on deposition efficiency, interface microstructure and adhesive strength of cold-sprayed copper coatings

The critical velocity for particle deposition in cold spraying is a key parameter, which depends not only on the material type, but also the particle temperature and oxidation condition. The dependency of deposition efficiency of cold spray Cu particles on the particle temperature and surface oxidation was examined. The effect of particle surface oxide scales on the interfacial microstructure and adhesive strength of the cold-sprayed Cu coatings was investigated. The results show that the deposition efficiency significantly increases with increasing the gas temperature but decreases with augmenting the oxygen content of the starting powder. The oxide inclusions at the interfaces between the deposited particles inhibit the effective bonding of fresh metals and remarkably lower the bond strength of the deposited Cu coatings on steel.     

Characterization of cold-sprayed nanostructured Fe-based alloy

The ball-milled Fe-Si alloy was used as feedstock for deposition of nanocrystalline Fe-Si by cold spraying process. The microstructure of the as-sprayed nanostructured Fe-Si was characterized by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The grain sizes of the feedstock and as-sprayed deposit were estimated based on X-ray diffraction analysis. The microhardness and coercivity of the deposited Fe-Si alloy were characterized. The results showed that the as-sprayed deposit presented a dense microstructure. The mean grain size of the as-deposited Fe-Si was several tens nanometers and comparable to that of the corresponding milled feedstock. The temperature of driving gas presented little effect on the microstructure of cold-sprayed nanostructured Fe-Si deposit. The mechanical alloying induced oxygen contents up to 8 wt% in the feedstocks and subsequent deposits. The microhardness of the deposit reached about 400 Hv. The deposit achieved a high coercivity up to 190 kA/m indicating the potential possibility for applications to recording materials.     

Synthesis of Fe-based amorphous composite coatings with low purity materials by laser cladding

Amorphous composite coatings Fe₃₈Ni_30−XSi₁₆B₁₄V₂M_X (X = 0, 1, 2) (M contains Al, Ti, Mo, and C) were prepared with low purity of raw materials by laser cladding. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results show that the coating have an amorphous structure with a few crystalline phase on it. The amorphous phase is the primary phase. The glass forming ability as well as the microhardness of the Fe-based alloy made from low purity raw materials can be much enhanced by adding small amount of multi-components. However, the elements addition has its optimal quantity. When X is equal to 1, the microstructure of the coating contains 97.93% amorphous phase and 2.07% crystalline phase on it. As a result, the microhardness of the coating reaches maximum. With further increasing of the additions, the amorphous phase in the coating lessens instead of augment and the crystalline phase begins to accumulate, which result in the decrease of the microhardness.     

Effect of vacuum heat treatment on tensile strength and fracture performance of cold-sprayed Cu-4Cr-2Nb coatings

The previous study [1] indicated that dense thick Cu-4Cr-2Nb coatings could be formed by cold spraying, and the post-spray heat treatment could significantly influence the microstructure and microhardness of the as-sprayed Cu-4Cr-2Nb coatings. In this study, the tensile strength and fracture performance of the Cu-4Cr-2Nb coatings after annealing were investigated. The vacuum heat treatment was conducted under 10⁻² Pa at 850 °C for 4 h. Results showed that the heat treatment had a great contribution to the healing-up of the incompleteness of the interfaces between the deposited particles. In addition, the coating microhardness decreased from 156.8 ± 4.6 Hv_0.2 for the as-sprayed coatings to 101.7 ± 4.5 Hv_0.2 for the annealed ones. The mean tensile strength of the annealed coatings was approximately 294.1 ± 36.1 MPa compared to that of 45.0 ± 10.5 MPa for the as-sprayed ones, which results from the partially metallurgically bonded zones between the deposited particles inducing by the heat treatment process.     

Microstructure and wear resistance of Al–SiC composites coatings on ZE41 magnesium alloy

Al and Al–SiC composites coatings were prepared by oxyacetylene flame spraying on ZE41 magnesium alloy substrates. Coatings with controlled reinforcement rate of up to 23 vol.% were obtained by spraying mixtures containing aluminium powder with up to 50 vol.% SiC particles. The coatings were sprayed on the magnesium alloy with minor degradation of its microstructure or mechanical properties. The coatings were compacted to improve their microstructure and protective behaviour. The wear behaviour of these coatings has been tested using the pin-on-disk technique and the reinforced coatings provided 85% more wear resistance than uncoated ZE41 and 400% more than pure Al coatings.     

High-temperature oxidation studies of cold-sprayed Ni-20Cr and Ni-50Cr coatings on SAE 213-T22 boiler steel

The high-temperature oxidation behavior of cold-sprayed Ni-20Cr and Ni-50Cr coatings on SAE 213-T22 boiler steel has been investigated at 900 °C in air under cyclic heating and cooling conditions for 50 cycles. The kinetics of oxidation of coated and bare boiler steel has been established with the help of weight change measurements. It was observed that all the coated and bare steels obeyed parabolic rate law of oxidation. X-ray diffraction, FE-SEM/EDAX and X-ray mapping techniques were used to analyse the oxidation products of the coated and uncoated boiler steel. The uncoated steel suffered corrosion in the form of intense spalling and peeling of its oxide scale, which was perhaps due to the formation of unprotective Fe₂O₃ oxide scale. Both the coatings showed better resistance to the air oxidation as compared to the uncoated steel. The Ni-50Cr coating was found to be more protective than the Ni-20Cr-coated steel. The formation of oxides and spinels of nickel and chromium may be contributing to the development of air oxidation resistance in the coatings.     

In situ Raman spectroscopy of annealed diamondlike carbon-metal composite films

Diamondlike carbon films and diamondlike carbon-metal composite films may provide increased component reliability, decreased fuel consumption, decreased noise/vibration/harshness (NVH), and decreased lubricant use in next generation automotive components. Raman spectra were obtained for diamondlike carbon, diamondlike carbon-platinum composite films, and diamondlike carbon-gold composite films, which were annealed to a temperature of 523 °C. The Raman spectra for these films were fitted using a two-Gaussian function. The variation of the G-peak position, the D-peak position, and the I_D/I_G ratio was examined as a function of temperature. The unalloyed diamondlike carbon film demonstrated greater thermal stability than the diamondlike carbon-noble metal composite films. These results suggest that the operating temperatures of the diamondlike carbon-coated automotive components must be kept under careful consideration.     

A simple method for the preparation of superhydrophobic PVDF-HMFS hybrid composite coatings

A superhydrophobic surface was obtained by embedding hydrophobically modified fumed silica (HMFS) particles in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) matrix. The water contact angle (WCA) on the PVDF-HMFS hybrid composite coating is influenced by the content and nature of silica particles in the coating. As the silica concentration in PVDF matrix was increased from 33.3% to 71.4%, WCA increased from 117° to 168° and the sliding angle decreased from 90° to <1°. Surface topography of the coating was examined using scanning electron microscopy. An irregular rough surface structure composed of microcavities and nanofilaments was found to be responsible for the superhydrophobicity. The method is simple and cost-effective and can be used for preparing self-cleaning superhydrophobic coating on large areas of different substrates.     

Effects of post-annealing on structural, optical and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were deposited at 400 °C by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering using a compound AZO target. The effects of annealing atmospheres as well as hydrogen annealing temperatures on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the AZO films were investigated. It was found that the electrical resistivity varied depending on the atmospheres while annealing in air, nitrogen and hydrogen at 300 °C, respectively. Comparing with that for the un-annealed films, the resistivity of the films annealed in hydrogen decreased from 9.8 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm to 3.5 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm, while that of the films annealed in air and nitrogen increased. The variations in electrical properties are ascribed to both the changes in the concentration of oxygen vacancies and adsorbed oxygen at the grain boundaries. These results were clarified by the comparatively XPS analyzing about the states of oxygen on the surface of the AZO films. There was great increase in electrical resistivity due to the damage of the surfaces, when AZO films were annealed in hydrogen with a temperature higher than 500 °C, but high average optical transmittance of 80-90% in the range of 390-1100 nm were still obtained.     

Micro-thermal analysis of polyester coatings

The application and suitability of micro-thermal analysis to detect changes in the chemical and physical properties of coating due to ageing and especially photo-degradation is demonstrated using a model polyester coating based on neopentyl glycol isophthalic acid. The changes in chemical structure like chain scission and cross-linking are manifested by a shift of the LTA detectable T_g and by a change of the slope of the part of the LTA graph responsible for the penetration of the hot sensor into the material after passing the glass transition temperature. As such LTA is a valuable tool to have a quick look into coating surfaces and especially their ageing. The photo-degradation of polyester in air leads to the formation of a cross-linked network at a surface layer of about 3-4 μm coupled with an increase in hardness and of the glass transition temperature by ∼90 K, the effect is less drastic for a photo-degradation in a nitrogen environment. Moreover, the presence of a non-equilibrium dense surface layer with a higher T_g formed during the drying of the coating formulation and the film solidification can be shown.     

Novel heat-resistance UV curable waterborne polyurethane coatings modified by melamine

Novel UV curable waterborne polyurethane coatings (UVWPU) modified by melamine was prepared using isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), polyethylene glycol (PEG), α,α-dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA), hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) as main materials. Copolymer structure was verified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Performance of the coatings was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and mechanical tests such as pencil hardness and resistance to water. The results showed that the modified UVWPU film had the good thermal resistance, water resistance and mechanical properties. The optimum melamine dosage was 4.70 wt.%, the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the modified film increased by 20.4 °C and 5% weight-loss temperature (253 °C) increased by 105 °C. No change color, crinkle, desquamate, dehisce and frothy were found after the modified film dried at 130 °C for 2 h.