Wear, erosion and corrosion resistance of HVOF-sprayed WC and Cr3C2 based coatings for electrolytic hard chrome replacement

Thermally sprayed carbide-based coatings are nowadays extensively considered as an alternative to electrolytic hard chrome (EHC) coatings to reduce the environmental impact and the overall cost associated with EHC process. In this investigation, high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray process was employed to prepare coatings using the traditional carbide powders namely the WC-10Co4Cr, the Cr3C2-25NiCr and a new type of mixed carbide powder WC-40Cr(3)C(2)-25NiCr. The Powder deposition rate, basic mechanical properties, abrasive wear, slurry erosion and corrosion resistance of the three coatings were then compared with the EHC coating. The results show that WC-10Co4Cr coating exhibited the highest hardness, abrasive wear and slurry erosion resistance followed by WC-40Cr(3)C(2)-25NiCr, EHC, and Cr3C2-25NiCr coating. The deposition efficiency of the powders as per hierarchy was found to be WC-40Cr(3)C(2)-25NiCr > WC-10Co4Cr > Cr3C2-25NiCr and all the HVOF sprayed coatings exhibited higher corrosion resistance than EHC coating. The highest powder deposition efficiency coupled with low density, acceptable tribo-corrosion performance, as well as low post processing cost makes the HVOF sprayed WC-40Cr(3)C(2)-25NiCr coating a potential candidate to replace the EHC coating.