A Comparative Study of Cavitation Erosion Resistance of Several HVOF-Sprayed Coatings in Deionized Water and Artificial Seawater

In this study, WC-10Co4Cr coatings, Co-based coatings, WC-10Co4Cr/Co-based composite coatings, and Fe-based amorphous/nanocrystalline coatings were prepared on 316L stainless steel substrates by a high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying process. The cavitation erosion resistances of all the coatings, as well as the stainless steel substrates, were investigated in deionized water and artificial seawater. Results show that the effect of marine corrosion on cavitation erosion was most significant on the stainless steels, WC-10Co4Cr coatings, and Co-based coatings, but negligible on the WC-10Co4Cr/Co-based composite coatings and the Fe-based amorphous/nanocrystalline coatings. The WC-10Co4Cr coatings (0.17 mm3/h) show improved cavitation erosion resistance than those of WC-10Co4Cr/Co-based composite coatings (0.21 mm3/h), 316L stainless steel substrates (0.22 mm3/h), Co-based coatings (0.30 mm3/h), and Fe-based coatings (0.47 mm3/h) in marine environments.