The parameters optimization and abrasion wear mechanism of liquid fuel HVOF sprayed bimodal WC–12Co coating

In this work, the spray parameters of the bimodal WC–12Co powder are optimized by Taguchi experiment program by using liquid fuel JP-8000 HVOF spray system with mass flow meter controlling the flux of the medium. The phase composition, microstructure, hardness, porosities, fracture toughness, per-pass deposited thickness and the abrasive wear mechanism of the coatings have been studied in detail. The results indicate that the varying of the spraying parameters shows little effect on the phase composition of the WC–12Co coatings but great influence on their other performance such as hardness, porosity, fracture toughness and the per-pass thickness of coatings. High hardness of the coatings usually means low porosity, low fracture toughness, low per-pass thickness and high wear resistance for the HVOF WC–12Co coatings. The bimodal coating deposited under the optimal spray parameter exhibits excellent performance, which can be attributed to its small mean free path of the cobalt binder resulting from the bimodal distribution of WC particles. As last, three groups of spray parameters, named as economic, moderate and high level spray parameters, are suggested according to the results of Taguchi experiment program and the applied situation of the coated parts as well as their preparation cost.