Nanostructured composite coatings for oil sand's applications

Machinery used in mining and mineral processing industry suffers from severe degradation through abrasive wear. The current techniques used to extend the wear life of components exposed to these environments include the heat treatment of steels and the hardfacing of surfaces using fusion welding techniques. However, thermal spraying techniques such as the use of high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) composite coatings based on WC-Co system offer better wear resistance and greater flexibility in application. The ability to deposit microstructured coatings by the HVOF process is well established, but the ability to deposit nanostructured coatings is relatively new and posses a challenge. This paper reviews the application of the HVOF coating technique, and compares the wear resistant behaviour of a C-Mn steel substrate coated using micro- and nanostructured WC-Co based coatings.