Characterisation of WC-12Co thermal spray powders and HPHVOF wear resistant coatings

Fourteen commonly used, commercially available, WC 12Co thermal spray powders were characterised in terms of their particle size distribution, surface morphology, cross-sectional morphology, and phase composition. Based on the results, four powders were selected for the deposition of thermal spray coatings using the JP 5000 high pressure high velocity oxyfuel (HPHVOF) system. Dry sand rubber wheel abrasion tests were performed on the coatings in order to determine the effect of powder manufacturing method on the wear rates. The coating produced using the cast and crushed powder did not deposit well and wore through very rapidly. The abrasion tests on the remaining coatings showed that the other two powder manufacturing routes are essentially equivalent in terms of the resultant coating wear resistance.