Effect of particle state on the adhesive strength of HVOF sprayed metallic coating

NiCrBSi and Ni-50Cr coatings were deposited using the high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spray process under different spray parameters with two powders of different sizes to clarify the influence of the melting state of spray particles on the adhesive strength of the coating. The adhesive strength of the coating was estimated according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C633-79. The melting state of the spray droplet was examined from the coating microstructure. It was found that the melting state of spray particles had a significant effect on the adhesive strength of HVOF sprayed Ni-based coatings. The significant melting of the spray particle did not contribute to the increase in the adhesion of HVOF metallic coatings. On the other hand, the deposition of a partially melted large particle contributed to the substantial improvement of adhesive strength of the HVOF coating. The subsequent coating presented a dense microstructure and yielded an adhesive strength of more than 76 MPa, which was double that of the coating deposited with completely molten particles. It can be suggested that the good melting of the spray particle is mainly related to the mechanical interlocking effect, which reaches the limited and approximately defined adhesive strength up to 40-50 MPa.