On the basis of the nanocrystalline Cr 3 C 2 -25 (Ni20Cr) feedstock powders produced by mechanical milling, a nanostructured coating has been synthesized using high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying. The properties of the nanostructured coating were compared to those of the conventional coating of the same composition using scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and microhardness tests. The nanostructured Cr 3 C 2 -25 (Ni20Cr) coating synthesized in this study had an average carbide particle size of 24 nm. Discontinuous elongated amorphous phases were observed in the nanostructured coating. The conventional Cr 3 C 2 -25 (Ni20Cr) coatings produced using blended elemental powders exhibited an inhomogeneous microstructure. The observed homogeneity of the nanostructured coating is attributed, in part, to the microstructural improvement of the starting powder. The nanostructured Cr 3 C 2 -25 (Ni20Cr) coating yielded an average microhardness value of 1020 DPH 300 , which corresponds to a 20 pct increase in microhardness over that of the conventional coating. The nanostructured Cr 3 C 2 -25 (Ni20Cr) coating also exhibited a higher apparent fracture toughness relative to that of the conventional coating. The apparent mechanical property improvements in the nanostructured coating were thought to result from the uniformity of the microstructure and the high performance associated with a nanostructured structure. In addition, the mechanism that is present during the milling of a system containing nondeformable particles is discussed in light of the TEM observations.

A nanostructured WC-12 pct Co coating was synthesized using mechanical milling and high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying. The variation of powder characteristics with milling time and the performance of the coatings were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray, transmission electron microscope (TEM), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and microhardness measurements. There is no evidence that indicates the presence of an amorphous phase in the sintered WC-12 pct Co powder, and the binder phase in this powder is still crystalline Co. Mechanical milling of up to 20 hours did not lead to the formation of an amorphous phase in the sintered WC-12 pct Co powder. During the initial stages of the milling, the brittle carbide particles were first fractured into fragments and then embedded into the binder phase. This process gradually formed polycrystal nanocomposite powders of the Co binder phase and W carbide particles. The conventional cold welding and fracturing processes primarily occurred among the Co binder powders and polycrystal composite powders. The nanostructured WC-12 pct Co coatings, synthesized in the present study, consist of an amorphous matrix and carbides with an average particle diameter of 35 nm. The coating possesses an average microhardness of 1135 HV and higher resistance to indentation fracture than that of its conventional counterpart.

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