Properties of alumina coatings produced by gas-detonation method

The gas-detonation technique is one of the methods of producing coatings which are resistant to frictional wear and erosion. The coatings produced by this method widen the application range of cheap low-alloy steels. The paper is concerned with the fabrication of alumina oxide coatings on 1045 steel. The effect of the technique chosen for preparing the surface of the treated steel upon the structure and properties of the coating was examined. The microstructure, microhardness, distributions of the elements within the substrate/coating interface zone, and the frictional resistance of the coatings were determined. It has been shown that the best adherence to the substrate is achieved with the Al2O3 coating produced on a sand pre-blasted substrate. This coating has a high microhardness, low porosity and good frictional wear resistance.