Investigations of Cavitation Erosion and Corrosion Behavior of Flame-Sprayed NiCrBSi/WC-12Co Composite Coatings

Flame-sprayed NiCrBSi/WC-12Co composite coatings were deposited in different ratios on the surface of stainless steel. Oxyacetylene flame remelting treatment was applied to surfaces for refinement of the morphology of the layers and improvement of the coating/substrate adhesion. The performance of the coated specimens to cavitation erosion and electrochemical corrosion was evaluated by an ultrasonic vibratory method and, respectively, by polarization measurements. The microstructure was investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The obtained results demonstrated that the addition of 15 wt.% WC-12Co to the self-fluxing alloy improves the resistance to cavitation erosion (the terminal erosion rate (Vs) decreased with 15% related to that of the NiCrBSi coating) without influencing the good corrosion resistance in NaCl solution. However, a further increase in WC-Co content led to a deterioration of these coating properties (the Vs has doubled related to that of the NiCrBSi coating). Moreover, the corrosion behavior of the latter composite coating was negatively influenced, a fact confirmed by increased values for the corrosion current density (i(corr)). Based on the achieved experimental results, one may summarize that NiCrBSi/WC-Co composite coatings are able to increase the life cycle of expensive, high-performance components exposed to severe cavitation conditions.