Effect of MoS2 Addition on High Temperature Wear Behavior of NiCrBSi Coating Produced by Thermal Spraying

The thermal spraying method with the aim of increasing the working life of steel parts is one of the most important solutions in surface engineering to solve the problem of wear.

In this research, NiCrBSi and NiCrBSi-MoS2 coatings were applied on 304 stainless steel by thermal spraying, and then the wear behavior was evaluated at ambient temperature and 500 degrees. Phase investigations were done by X-ray diffraction test. The chemical composition of the coatings was checked with the help of energy dispersive spectrometer analysis. Porosity was investigated with the help of optical microscope and scanning electron microscope images. The hardness of the samples was measured using a microhardness test. In order to check the adhesion and tribological behavior of the coatings, VDI3198 and ASTM-G99 pin-on-disk tests were used, respectively, and finally, the wear mechanism was evaluated using SEM images and EDS analysis of the wear surfaces of the samples.

Phase analysis (XRD) and chemical composition (EDS) showed that the coating has an amorphous and crystalline phase and the most important phases of the coating are nickel-gamma, carbide and boride. Porosity measurement results with the help of image analysis software showed higher porosity of NiCrBSi-MoS2 coating. The results of hardness measurement from the cross-section of the samples indicated an increase in the hardness of the substrate in the presence of coatings, and the addition of MoS2 particles decreased the hardness of the NiCrBSi coating. The coating with MoS2 has better adhesive behavior due to its crystalline structure and better plastic deformation ability. The tribological results indicated the superiority of the NiCrBSi-MoS2 coating due to the appropriate ability of plastic deformation as well as the intrinsic lubrication property (based on the crystal structure) in this test. It was found that at ambient temperature, the samples mainly had lamellar wear mechanism, and at high temperature, oxidation wear as a secondary mechanism helped to destroy the surface.

The addition of MoS2 to NiCrBSi coating caused more porosity, more roughness, less hardness and better wear behavior of the coating. The addition of MoS2 to the coating improved the wear resistance of the coating at high temperature.