Effect of experimental parameters on the micro hardness of plasma sprayed alumina coatings on AZ31B magnesium alloy

Surface treatment of engineering materials has recently become important for serviceable engineering components.Many techniques such as thermal and thermo chemical surface treatments have been used to develop surface characteristics of materials.Hardness is the most important property,which influences considerably service life characteristics of coatings.In this investigation,alumina coatings were deposited by atmospheric plasma spray technique under different levels of power,stand-off distances and powder feed rates.Empirical relationship was developed to predict the micro hardness of alumina coatings by incorporating the plasma spray process parameters.The input power and the stand-off distance appeared to be the most significant two parameters affecting the hardness of the coating among the three investigated process parameters.Further,correlating the spray parameters with coating properties enables the identification of characteristics regime to achieve desired quality of coatings.

Influence of vacuum heat treatment on structure and micro-hardness of electroless Ni-P-SiC composite coating

The electroless Ni-P-SiC composite coatings were prepared and the influence of vacuum heat treatment on its structure and properties was analyzed. The Ni-P-SiC composite coatings were characterized by morphology,structure and micro-hardness. The morphology and structure of the Ni-P-SiC composite coatings were studied by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffractometry(XRD),respectively. A great deal of particles incorporation and uniform distribution were found in Ni-P-SiC composite coatings. XRD results show a broad peak of nickel and low intensity SiC peaks present on as-deposited condition. Micro-hardness of as-deposited Ni-P-SiC composite coatings is improved greatly,and the best micro-hardness is obtained after heat treatment in a high vacuum at 400 ℃ .

Dependence of Microstructure and Hardness of Nanocomposite Coatings of nc-(Ti_(1-x)Al_(x)N)/a-Si_(3)N_(4) on Aluminum Contents

Super-hard nanocomposite coatings have been received a great attention during recent years. Based on our previous investigations onto the several super-hard nanocomposite coating systems including nc-TiN/a-Si3N4, nc-TiN/a-BN. This paper reports on the nc-(Ti1.xAlxN)/a-Si3N4 nanocomposite coatings prepared by direct current plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). And the effect of aluminum contents on the microstructure and hardness of the coatings have been mainly investigated. The coatings were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDX), and the hardness measurements were done by means of the automated load-depth sensing technique using Vickers diamond indenter. The thermal stability of nanocomposite coatings of TiN/a-Si3N4 was evaluated by annealing at elevated temperatures up to 1000°C. The results shows that super hardness of nc-(Ti|_xAlxN)/a-Si3N4 could be obtained with a wide aluminum content from 10at.% to 86at.% in (Ti^AlJN phase, while the silicon content can be kept at 4-5 at.%. These nanocomposite coatings shows a relatively better thermal stability of nanocrystallite size and therefore high hardness up to 1000°C, which further support our earlier concept for the design of super-hard nanocomposite coatings. These results are suggested mainly due to the formation of nanostructure, and this indicates that the aluminum has also the role of controlling the crystallite size within nc-(Ti1.xAlIN)/a-Si3N4 besides its known well property of the super anti-oxidation.

Effects of cathodic component of current on porosity and hardness characteristics of micro plasma oxidation(MPO) coatings on aluminum alloy

Micro plasma oxidation(MPO) has recently been investigated as a novel, rapid and effective means to provide modified surfaces with improved properties of load bearing and wear resistance on light alloys particularly aluminum alloys. MPO is a multifactor-controlled process, these factors must be controlled to produce high quality coatings. The main research emphasis in MPO coating development over the past years seems to be the attainment of higher hardness levels and thick coatings. The porosity of MPO coating is the most complex phenomenon affecting the distribution, levels and the measurements of the hardness; and it is controlled by suitable selection of important parameters such as the electrical conditions. Ceramics coatings were synthesized on Al substrate by MPO to examine the effects of adding a cathodic phase alternated with anodic-cathodic current on the porosity and hardness characteristics of coatings by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and microhardness tester. The coatings produced by the combined mode are more dense and less porous than that by the anodic-cathodic mode. (Microhardness) test shows that the coatings produced by the combined mode exhibit both the highest hardness, and less reduction percentage in hardness with increasing the coatings thickness. These improvements become more significant for the polished and thicker coatings.

Microstructure and micro-hardness of the Inconel 718 superalloy coating prepared by cold gas dynamic spraying

Inconel 718 superalloy coating was prepared on a martensitic steel substrate by cold gas dynamic spraying （ CGDS ）. Microstructure and micro-hardness of the coating were characterized by means of scanning electronic microscope （SEM） ,energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS）, and micro-hardness and nano-indentation tests. The results have indicated that the coating＇ s thickness can reach more than 300 um, and there exists a good interfacial cohesion between the coating and the substrate. The quantity and size of the defects at the bottom, middle and top areas increase gradually. There is no significant change to the original microstructure of the Inconel 718 superalloy particle after the process of CGDS ;and an obvious torsional deformation on the particle＇ s profile is produced while little deformation at the center part occurs. The micro-hardness of the coating at the bottom, middle and top areas decreases in turn. Compared with the bottom area, the micro-hardness of the middle and top areas decreases by about 10% and 21%, respectively. The nano-hardness of the coating is much lower than the original particle,which decreases by about 13.5% at the bottom area and 28% at the top area,respectively. The distribution of micro-defects is an important factor to the micro-hardness of the coating.

“Smart”micro/nano container-based self-healing coatings on magnesium alloys:A review

Coating technologies are a commonly used way to protect metals against corrosion.However,with more and more severe service environments of materials,many protective coating systems often are not environmentally friendly or toxic as in the case of chromates.Based on the world’s abundant ideal magnesium(Mg)and its alloy,the smart self-healing anticorrosive coating can autonomously restore the damaged part of the coating according to the environmental changes,strengthen the corrosion protection ability,and prolong its service life.This paper reviews the research progress of smart self-healing coatings on Mg alloys.These coatings mostly contain suitable corrosion inhibitors encapsulated into micro/nano containers.Moreover,the different self-healing mechanisms and functionalities of micro/nano containers are discussed.The micro/nano containers range from inorganic nanocontainers such as mesoporous nanoparticles(silica(SiO_(2)),titanium dioxide(TiO_(2)),etc.),over inorganic clays(halloysite,hydrotalcite-like,zeolite),to organic nanocontainers such as polymer microcapsules,nanofibers,chitosan(CS)and cyclodextrin(CD),as well as,carbon materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes and hybrids such as metal organic frameworks.The functioning of micro/nano containers can be divided in two principal groups:autonomous(based on defect filling and corrosion inhibition)and non-autonomous(based on dynamic bonds and shape memory polymers).Moreover,multi functionalities and composite applications of various micro/nano containers are summarized.At present,significant progress has been made in the preparation methods and technologies of micro/nano containers.Achieving long-term self-healing properties of coatings sensing of coating failure and early warning after self-healing function failure can be expected as the main development direction of self-healing corrosion protection coatings in the future.

Identifying the optimal HVOF spray parameters to attain minimum porosity and maximum hardness in iron based amorphous metallic coatings

Flow based Erosion e corrosion problems are very common in fluid handling equipments such as propellers, impellers, pumps in warships, submarine. Though there are many coating materials available to combat erosionecorrosion damage in the above components, iron based amorphous coatings are considered to be more effective to combat erosionecorrosion problems. High velocity oxy-fuel(HVOF)spray process is considered to be a better process to coat the iron based amorphous powders. In this investigation, iron based amorphous metallic coating was developed on 316 stainless steel substrate using HVOF spray technique. Empirical relationships were developed to predict the porosity and micro hardness of iron based amorphous coating incorporating HVOF spray parameters such as oxygen flow rate, fuel flow rate, powder feed rate, carrier gas flow rate, and spray distance. Response surface methodology(RSM) was used to identify the optimal HVOF spray parameters to attain coating with minimum porosity and maximum hardness.

Hardness, toughness and electrochemical properties of Cr-N coating by ion beam enhanced deposition

The hardness, toughness and electrochemical properties of the CrN coatings were studied by the method of Ion Beam Enhanced DePosition(IBED). The results show that the fraction of CrN phase and its hardness increase with increasing N2 partial pressure and N ions bombarding energy in a certain range, but the toughness decreases. When the N ions: Cr atoms ratio changes from 1. 45 × 1O-2, 3. 67 × 10-2 to 5. 87 ×10 - 2, Cr2O3 is produced. In terms of corrosion resistance, the coated specimen shows a slight improvement in comparison with substrate 52100 steel. The Cr-N coated specimen is characterized with pitting corrosion by penetrating the agent throngh the defects involved very thin coating layer.

Preparation and Properties of High Hardness and Oxidation Resisting Coating Using Electric Arc Spray

A coating with high hardness, wear and oxidation resistance was prepared by electric arc spray. The hardness, bonding strength, abrasive wear and values of porosity and oxidation resistance of the coating were investigated. The microstructures and function of Cr3C2 of the coating were analyzed. The results showed surface Rockness Hardness HR30 reached 72.5 and average bond strength reached 49.1Mpa. Also porosity value was less than 2%. In addition, it was found from the comparison between the coating and 45CT coating that, oxidation resistance of the coating was less than that of 45CT, but the abrasive wear of the coating was obvious better than that of 45CT.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of TiN/TiAlN multilayer coatings deposited by arc ion plating with separate targets

TiN/TiAlN multilayer coatings were prepared by arc ion plating with separate targets. In order to decrease the unfavorable macroparticles, a straight magnetized filter was used for the low melting aluminium target. The results show that the output plasmas of titanium target without filter and aluminium target with filter reach the substrate with the same order of magnitude. Meanwhile, the number of macropartieles in TiN/TiAlN multilayer coatings deposited with separate targets is only 1/10-1/3 of that deposited with alloy target reported in literature. Al atom addition may lead to the decrease of peak at （200） lattice plane and strengthening of peak at （111） and （220） lattice planes. The measured hardness of TiN/TiAlN multilayer coatings accords with the mixture principle and the maximum hardness is HV2495. The adhesion strength reaches 75 N.

Microstructure and indentation toughness of Cr/CrN multilayer coatings by arc ion plating

Cr/CrN multilayer coatings with bilayer periods in the range from 1351 to 260 nm were prepared on 304 stainless steel substrates by arc ion plating to study the microstructure and properties of multilayer coatings and stimulate their application.SEM results confirm the clear periodicity of the Cr/CrN multilayer coatings and the clear interface between individual layers.XRD patterns reveal that these multilayer coatings contain Cr,CrN and Cr_2N phases.Because Cr layer is softer than its nitride layer,the hardness decreases with the shortening of the bilayer period(or increasing volume fraction of Cr layer).The Cr/CrN multilayer coating with 862 nm period possesses the highest indentation toughness due to a proper individual Cr and nitride layer thickness.However,for the Cr/CrN multilayer with the bilayer period of 1351 nm,it possesses the lowest toughness due to more nitride phase.The indentation toughness of Cr/CrN multilayer coatings is related with their bilayer period.A coating with a proper individual Cr and nitride layer thickness possesses the highest indentation toughness.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Ti-B-N coatings deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Ternary Ti-B-N coatings were synthesized on AISI 304 and Si wafer by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique using a gaseous mixture of TiCl4,BCl3,H2,N2,and Ar.By virtue of X-ray diffraction analysis,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,scanning electron microscope,and high-resolution transmission electron microscope,the influences of B content on the microstructure and properties of Ti B N coatings were investigated systematically.The results indicated that the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-B-N coatings largely depend on the transformation from FCC-TiN phase to HCP-TiB2 phase.With increasing B content and decreasing N content in the coatings,the coating microstructure evolves gradually from FCC-TiN/a-BN to HCP-TiB2 /a-BN via FCC-TiN+HCP-TiB2/a-BN.The highest microhardness of about 34 GPa is achieved,which corresponds to the nanocomposite Ti-63%B-N (mole fraction) coating consisting of the HCP-TiB2 nano-crystallites and amorphous BN phase.The lowest friction-coefficient was observed for the nanocomposite Ti-41%B-N (mole fraction) coating consisting of the FCC-TiN nanocrystallites and amorphous BN

Microstructural and tribological behavior of TiAlN/MoS_2-Ti coatings

A TIA1N/MoS2-Ti coating was developed to improve the tribological characteristics of a single TiAlN coating. The MoS2-Ti layer was deposited by a DC magnetron sputtering system on the hard TiAIN coated SKD-11 steel substrate. The titanium content in the MoS2-Ti layer was 11.3 at.% determined by EPMA. The surface morphology was observed by FE-SEM. The TiAlN layer exhibited excellent adhesion and hardness. However, the deposition of an MoS2-Zi layer on the TRAIN led to a significant improvement in tribological properties without affecting the adhesion to the substrate. The MoS2-Ti layer significantly decreased the friction coefficient of the TiAIN coating, and the drop was 48% after MoS2-Ti deposition. Also, the MoS2-Ti layer remarkably decreased the wear rate of the TtA1N coating.

Effect of Al and Si additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of TiN coatings

Ti-X-N (X=Al,Si or Al+Si) coatings were grown onto cemented carbide substrates by cathodic arc evaporation. The hardness of the coatings was obtained by nanoindentation and the microstructure was investigated by XRD,XPS and SEM. Solid solution hardening results in a hardness increase from 24 GPa for TiN to 31.2 GPa for TiAlN. The higher hardness values of 36.7 GPa for TiSiN and 42.4 GPa for TiAlSiN are obtained by the incorporation of Si into TiN (TiAlN) coatings due to the formation of special three-dimensional net structure consisting of nanocrystalline (nc) TiN (TiAlN) encapsulated in an amorphous (a) Si3N4 matrix phase. Furthermore,the nc-TiAlN/a-Si3N4 coating shows the best machining performance.

Microstructure and tribocorrosion performance of nanocrystalline TiN graded coating on biomedical titanium alloy

A nanocrystalline TiN graded coating was prepared on Ti6Al4V alloy by DC reactive magnetron sputtering method. The microstructure and mechanic properties of the coating were investigated. The electrochemical corrosion and tribocorrosion of the coated specimens in physiological environment were compared with those of Ti6Al4V substrate. The results show that the gradient distribution of nanocrystalline TiN is favorable for releasing the inner stress in the coating, which increases adhesion strength to 90 N. The compact structure and refined-grains of the coating result in the surface nanohardness of 28.5 GPa. The corrosion protection efficiency of the nanocrystalline TiN coating reaches 96.6%. The tribocorrosion resistance of the coating increases by 100 times in comparison with that of Ti6Al4V substrate. The high chemical stability and H3/E2 ratio (where H is hardness, and E is elastic modulus) of the nanocrystalline TiN coating are responsible for good corrosion and wear resistances.

Sliding wear characteristics of solid lubricant coating on titanium alloy surface modified by laser texturing and ternary hard coatings

Titanium alloys are poor in wear resistance and it is not suitable under sliding conditions even with lubrication because ofits severe adhesive wear tendency.The surface modifications through texturing and surface coating were used to enhance the surfaceproperties of the titanium alloy substrate.Hard and wear resistant coatings such as TiAlN and AlCrN were applied over texturedtitanium alloy surfaces with chromium as interlayer.To improve the friction and wear resisting performance of hard coatings further,solid lubricant,molybdenum disulphide(MoS2),was deposited on dimples made over hard coatings.Unidirectional sliding weartests were performed with pin on disc contact geometry,to evaluate the tribological performance of coated substrates.The tests wereperformed under three different normal loads for a period of40min at sliding velocity of2m/s.The tribological behaviours ofmulti-layer coatings such as coating structure,friction coefficient and specific wear rate were investigated and analyzed.The lowerfriction coefficient of approximately0.1was found at the early sliding stage,which reduces the material transfer and increases thewear life.Although,the friction coefficient increased to high values after MoS2coating was partially removed,substrate was stillprotected against wear by underlying hard composite layer.

A COMBINATORIAL APPROACH TO THE OXIDATION RESISTANCE OF (Ti,Al)N AND Ti-Al-Si-N HARD COATINGS

The increasing complexity of modern functional materials leads to the demandof a cost efficient tool for the development of new products. One possible approach to this questionis the adaptation of combinatorial methods to the specific requirements of materials industry.These methods, originally developed for the pharmaceutical industry, have recently been applied tothe screening of superconductive, magnetoresistant and photoluminescent materials. The principle ofthese combinatorial approaches is the deposition of large materials libraries in one processcombined with fast methods for the determination of the resulting properties. In this paper, thedeposition and characterization of laterally graded materials libraries (composition spread) ispresented. The films have been deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering, using two or threemetallic targets at a low angle to the substrate surface as well as a system of apertures. Toillustrate the advantages of combinatorial approaches for the development of advanced materials, themulticomponent metastable hardcoatings (Ti,Al)N and Ti-Al-Si-N are discussed with special emphasison the relations between structure and composition on the one hand and the oxidation resistance ofthese coatings on the other. The results illustrate that the composition spread approach is apowerful and cost efficient tool for the development and optimization of new multicomponentfunctional materials.

Experimental investigation on fatigue of blade specimen subjected to resonance and effect of a damping hard coating treatment

Failures due to high-cycle fatigue have led to a high cost in aerospace engineering over the past few decades.In this paper,the experimental results of the fatigue behavior of compressor blade specimen subjected to resonance and the effects of a damping hard coating on relieving the fatigue progress are presented.The crack initiation and propagation processes were observed under resonance of the first bending mode by using the resonant frequencies as the indicator.Significant nonlinear features were observed in the spectrum of the blade with a fatigue crack.The finite element model considering the breathing crack was established with nonlinear contact based on the crack localization and size,which was obtained by ultrasonic phased array technology.The simulation results of the vibration behavior of the cracked blade were obtained and consistent with the experimental results.A NiCrAlY coating was deposited on the blade,and increases in the fatigue life were observed under the same condition.The results of this paper can help to better understand the fatigue of a compressor blade subjected to resonance and provide a preference for the application of a damping hard coating on compressor blades.

Microstructure characteristics of Ni/WC composite cladding coatings

A multilayer tungsten carbide particle（WCp）-reinforced Ni-based alloy coating was fabricated on a steel substrate using vacuum cladding technology.The morphology,microstructure,and formation mechanism of the coating were studied and discussed in different zones.The microstructure morphology and phase composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy,optical microscopy,X-ray diffraction,and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.In the results,the coating presents a dense and homogeneous microstructure with few pores and is free from cracks.The whole coating shows a multilayer structure,including composite,transition,fusion,and diffusion-affected layers.Metallurgical bonding was achieved between the coating and substrate because of the formation of the fusion and diffusion-affected layers.The Ni-based alloy is mainly composed of y-Ni solid solution with finely dispersed Cr7C3/Cr（23）C6,CrB,and Ni＋Ni3Si.WC particles in the composite layer distribute evenly in areas among initial Ni-based alloying particles,forming a special three-dimensional reticular microstructure.The macrohardness of the coating is HRC 55,which is remarkably improved compared to that of the substrate.The microhardness increases gradually from the substrate to the composite zone,whereas the microhardness remains almost unchanged in the transition and composite zones.

Efect of Micro Abrasive Slurry Jet Polishing on Properties of Coated Cemented Carbide Tools

Owing to the popularization of coating technology, physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coated tools have become indispensable in the cutting process. Additionally, the post-treatment of coated tools applied to industrial production can efectively enhance the surface quality of coating. To improve the processing performance of coated tools, micro abrasive slurry jet (MASJ) polishing technology is frst applied to the post-treatment of coated tools. Subsequently, the efects of process parameters on the surface quality and cutting thickness of coating are investigated via single-factor experiments. In the experiment, the best surface roughness is obtained by setting the working pressure to 0.4 MPa, particle size to 3 μm, incidence angle to 30°, and abrasive mass concentration to 100 g/L. Based on the results of the single-factor experiments, combination experiments are designed, and three types of coated tools with diferent surface qualities and coating thicknesses are obtained. The MASJ process for the post-treatment of coated tools is investigated based on a tool wear experiment and the efects of cutting parameters on the cutting force and workpiece surface quality of three types of cutting tools. The result indicates that MASJ machining can efectively improve the machining performance of coated tools.