Sliding wear performance of thermally sprayed Ni-Cr based alloy deposited on SAE 1045 steel

The present work has been carried out in order to investigate the sliding wear performance of a Ni-Cr based alloy, containing boron, carbon, silicon and iron, deposited onto a SAE 1045 steel substrate. The coatings were thermally sprayed by means of a High Velocity Oxy-Fuel system and post heat-treated for one hour at 760ºC in an argon atmosphere. The relative sliding performance was evaluated under unlubricated dry conditions at different applied normal loads and sliding velocities, in order to analyze the influence of these parameters on the wear response. Test results are discussed and interpreted on the basis of both microstructural evaluations and mechanical properties measurements. The surface morphology and topography of the wear scars have been studied through of a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The results have shown an improved wear resistance of the coated steel samples as compared to the uncoated ones.