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Microstructure and properties of WC/diamond/Co-based gradient composite coatings on high-speed steel fabricated by laser cladding

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Abstract

Improving the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of high-speed steel (HSS), WC/diamond/Co-based gradient composite coatings were produced on HSS substrates by laser cladding with different composition powder mixture (Co-Cr alloy powder, 80Co-Cr alloy powder+20WC, 53Co-Cr alloy powder+40WC+7diamond, wt%). The macromorphology, microstructures, and phase composition were characterized by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The microhardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance of the gradient coatings were also investigated, respectively. The results indicate that the prepared WC/diamond/Co-based gradient composite cladding layer has a fine morphology on the cross sections and a gradient transition of the grain size has been achieved. The microhardness result presents gradient distribution along the depth of the coating. The microhardness is strengthened due to the dispersions of M7C3 (M is Fe, Cr), Co3C, CrCo, Cr3C2, and Fe3C in the composite coating, and the highest microhardness of 1342 HV0.2 can be detected in the cladding layer. The friction coefficient values of the coatings range from 0.27 to 0.40, which is much lower than that of the substrate (0.50–0.60). Furthermore, the wear loss of coatings (1.1 mg) decreases by more than 3 times comparing with that of the substrate (3.5 mg). The polarization resistance results show that the cladding layer has excellent corrosion resistance with polarization resistance that can reach the value of 236488.1 Ω·cm2. The gradient transition of the mechanical properties and chemical metallurgical combination between particle (WC, diamond) and adhesive phase can be obtained in laser cladding, which improves the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the HSS surface.

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The authors declare that the data and the materials of this study are available within the article. Raw data is also available from the authors upon a reasonable request.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province of China (Grant No. 201801D121174) and Shanxi Provincial Key Research and Development Project of China (Grant No. 201903D121068).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanxi Key Laboratory of Precision Machining, College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering of Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China

    Donggang Liu, Guoxing Liang, Xinhui Hao, Yonggui Huang, Guang Li, Zheng Lv, Ming Lv, Mohammed Al-Nehari & Ojiako Princewill Tochukwu

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  1. Donggang Liu
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  2. Guoxing Liang
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  3. Xinhui Hao
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  4. Yonggui Huang
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  5. Guang Li
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  7. Ming Lv
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Contributions

Donggang Liu designed the experiments, finished the data analysis, and completed the paper writing. Professor Guoxing Liang provided the experimental program guidance and revised the draft. Xinhui Hao assisted with data acquisition and manuscript preparation. Yonggui Huang, Guang Li, and Zheng Lv participated in the experiments and obtained the original experimental data. Professor Ming Lv guided the analysis of experimental data and finalized the manuscript and provided good experimental conditions for the research. Mohammed Al-Nehari and Ojiako Princewill Tochukwu completed part of the experimental image processing and also carried on the final editing. All authors contributed and approved the final manuscript of this work.

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Correspondence to Guoxing Liang.

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Liu, D., Liang, G., Hao, X. et al. Microstructure and properties of WC/diamond/Co-based gradient composite coatings on high-speed steel fabricated by laser cladding. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 117, 3137–3151 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-07904-8

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