Comparative study of wear performance of ceramic/iron composite coatings under two different wear modes

WC-SHA coatings (SHA: high carbon iron alloy) with varying WC contents were successfully fabricated on Al-Mg-Si alloy substrates by resistance seam welding. The microstructures and phase compositions were investigated. Wear performance of the coatings was evaluated by both rubber wheel test and ball-on-disc test. The results showed that dense and thick WC-SHA coatings, consisting of WC reinforcement, SHA binder, A6061 and FeAl3, were fabricated on A6061 alloy using different powders. With increasing the contents of WC particles, the surface wear resistance and hardness increases. Moreover, the WC particles behaved significantly different during different wear tests, resulting in different wear mechanisms of the coating. In rubber wheel test, the WC particles relieved the abrasive wear on A6061 and SHA components from abrasive particles. While in ball-on-disc test, the WC particles supported the pressure from counterpart and protected other components until the WC particles were peeled off, leading to three body abrasive wear. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.