Corrosion mechanism of NiCrBSi coatings deposited by HVOF

NiCrBSi alloy powders were coated on a low carbon steel substrate using high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying, and corrosion tests were carried out by immersing the specimens in 3.5% NaCl with pH adjusted to 3 by addition of acetic acid. Techniques such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), spectral analysis, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to study the mechanistic process of corrosion of the coating surface. It was found that the corrosion of the NiCrBSi coating first occurred around the particles that had not melted during spraying and the defects such as pores, inclusions and microcracks, then followed by the development along the paths formed by pores, microcracks and lamellar structure, resulting in exfoliation or laminar peeling off. Adjusting the thermal spraying parameters to reduce the electrochemical unevenness or sealing the pores can improve the corrosion resistance of the coating. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.