ISSN 0957-798X THE PATON WELDING JOURNAL, ISSUE 02, FEBRUARY 2022

https://doi.org/10.37434/tpwj2022.02.05

STUDIES OF COATINGS PRODUCED

BY HIGH-VELOCITY OXY-FUEL SPRAYING
USING CERMET POWDER BASED
ON FeMoNiCrB AMORPHIZING ALLOY
Yu.S. Borysov, N.V. Vihilianska, I.A. Demianov, A.P. Murashov, O.P. Gryshchenko
E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the NASU
11 Kazymyr Malevych Str., 03150, Kyiv, Ukraine
ABSTRACT
The process of producing composite powders based on amorphizing Fe-alloy with the additives of refractory compounds by the
method of high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying was investigated. For spraying composite powders FeMoNiCrB‒(Ti, Cr)C, FeM-
oNiCrB‒ZrB2 were used, produced from a mixture of powders of the compositions by mechanical alloying in a planetary mill.
As a result of spraying, dense coatings (porosity is less than 3 %) were produced, which were formed from partially deformed
particles with a multiphase structure and a uniform distribution of structural components. The results of X-ray diffraction
phase analysis indicate the formation of amorphous-crystalline structure in the produced composite coatings. On the X-ray
patterns, the maximum peak amplitude from the crystalline phase against the background of the amorphous halo corresponds
to the TiCN phase in the coating FeMoNiCrB‒(Ti, Cr)C and the ZrB2 phase in the FeMoNiCrB‒ZrB coating. The size of the
measured microhardness for the composite coating FeMoNiCrB‒(Ti, Cr)C amounts to — 5.5±0.25 GPa, and for the coating
FeMoNiCrB‒ZrB2 it is 5.9±0.29 GPa.

KEY WORDS: high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying, amorphous phase, amorphous iron-based alloy, composite powder, composite
coating, microstructure, microhardness

INTRODUCTION used to increase the corrosion stability of containers

Amorphous metallic iron-based materials are wide- for storage and transportation of spent nuclear fuel as
ly used in industry due to their advantages, such as an alternative replacement of expensive nickel and
high strength and hardness, excellent corrosion and titanium alloys [5]; on parts operating in the condi-
wear resistance, good magnetic properties, as well tions of corrosion, corrosion-erosion and abrasive
as relatively low cost of material [1‒3]. However, wear for replacement of galvanic chrome plating [6,
a disadvantage of amorphous compact materials is 7]; on parts of mobile warehouses [8]; to strengthen
their low ductility and excessive brittleness at room and restore the pipes of industrial boilers, operating in
temperature, as well as low efficiency of equipment the conditions of high-temperature erosion wear [9].
and high production costs, which significantly limits The process of HVOF spraying is most widely used
their practical application as structural materials [4]. to produce coatings with an amorphous structure due
To eliminate these disadvantages, materials based on to the use of a relatively low temperature and high jet
amorphous alloys are used on the surface of products velocity in this method, which results in the formation
in the form of protective coatings, which are produced of a coating with a high density and adhesion strength
by thermal spraying. The basis for the scientific and with the base.
practical interest of the use of amorphous iron-based Along with the use of iron-based alloys, compos-
coatings and amorphous composite coatings in order ite coatings with an amorphous matrix are developed,
to increase the stability of the surface of products is which was strengthened by the second phase. As rein-
the cooling rate in thermal spraying of the powder forcing additives, TiN nitrides, B4C and WC carbides,
melt particles, which is 105‒106 K/s and is sufficient CrB2 borides, Al2O3 oxides, as well as stainless steel,
for amorphization of the coating material. In addition, NiCr, etc. are used [10‒14]. These composite coatings
amorphous metal coatings can be applied on large- show a significant increase in hardness, wear resis-
sized and complex parts. This allows expanding the tance and corrosion resistance as compared to the ba-
scope of their practical application. sic analogue.
For deposition of coatings from amorphizing In this paper, a study of the structure formation and
iron-based alloys, the methods of plasma, detona- phase composition of composite coatings, produced
tion, electric arc and high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF, by HVOF based on Fe-alloy, which is amorphised,
HVAF) spraying are used. The produced coatings are with reinforcing additives of refractory compounds
(Ti, Cr)C, ZrBr2, was carried out.
Copyright © The Author(s)

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Yu.S. Borysov et al.

Table 1. Characteristics of powders for oxy-fuel spraying of coat- The spraying was performed in the installation
ings (HVOF) UVShGPN-M1 on the following technolog-
Particle Method
ical parameters of the process: propane-butane pres-
Composition, wt.% sure is 4 atm, oxygen pressure is 7 atm, air pressure is
size, μm of producing
6 atm, nitrogen pressure is 5 atm, spraying distance is
FeMoNiCrB
(36.2Fe–29.9Mo–23.6Ni– ˂40
Spraying of melt 120 mm. The coatings FeMoNiCrB‒(Ti, Cr)C and Fe-
by nitrogen MoNiCrB‒ZrB2 were deposited to the substrate NiCr
7.6Cr–2.7B)
(thickness is 50‒100 μm), which was sprayed by elec-
77 FeMoNiCrB–23 (Ti, Cr)C ˂40
MA in PM 1.5 h tric arc method (wire diameter is 2 mm).
75 FeMoNiCrB–25 ZrB2 ˂80 In metallographic examinations, an optical micro-
scope Neophot-32 with a digital photography device
MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES was used; measurement of microhardness was car-
OF INVESTIGATIONS ried out in a PMT-3 device. X-ray diffraction analysis
(XRD) of coatings was carried out in the installation
For HVOF coatings with an amorphous structure,
DRON-UM-1, CuKα radiation, monochromatic.
powders based on amorphous alloy FeMoNiCrB were
used, produced by mechanical alloying (MA) in a RESULTS OF INVESTIGATIONS
planetary mill (PM) [15]. The characteristics of pow- Metallographic analysis revealed that coatings pro-
ders are shown in Table 1. duced from all the studied materials have a dense,

Figure 1. Microstructure of HVOF-coatings: a — FeMoNiCrB; b — FeMoNiCrB–(Ti, Cr)C; c — FeMoNiCrB‒ZrB2

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 STUDIES OF COATINGS PRODUCED BY HIGH-VELOCITY OXY-FUEL SPRAYING

Table 2. Results of investigations of HVOF-coatings based on FeMoNiCrB

Coating Thickness, Microhardness

Phase composition
material μm HV0.05, MPa

FeMoNiCrB 200‒250 4390±290 АФ; Mo2FeB2; Fe2B; FeCr; Fe3O4; Cr7Ni3

АФ; Fe2Ti; Cr7Ni3; TiC0.3N0.7; TiC0.2N0.8; Fe15.1C; Ni3Fe;

FeMoNiCrB‒(Ti, Cr)C 300‒350 5510±250
phases in small quantities: Ni3C; MoC; FeMoO4; FeO; FeC8

АФ; ZrB2; Fe; (Fe, Ni) solid solution; Cr7Ni3; MoNi4; Ni2Zr;
FeMoNiCrB‒ZrB2 900‒950 5880±290
phases in small quantities: ZrO2; Fe2B; Ni2B; MoB2; FeO; Ni0.4Fe2.6O4

Figure 2. Microhardness of coatings with an amorphised struc-

ture produced by the method of HVOF-spraying
fine-grained structure, homogeneous over the whole
structure area, which is formed from partially de-
formed spherical particles (Figure 1). Porosity of the
coatings does not exceed 3 vol.%; the coatings Fe-
MoNiCrB‒(Ti, Cr)C and FeMoNiCrB‒ZrB2 tightly
adhere to the nichrome sublayer and the coating
FeMoNiCrB — to the steel base.
Measurement of microhardness of HVOF coatings
(Figure 2) showed that the use of reinforcing additives
(Ti, Cr)C and ZrB2 leads to an increase in microhard-
ness of composite coatings by 1120 and 1490 MPa
as compared to the coating of the initial FeMoNiCrB
powder.
X-ray diffraction analysis revealed (Figure 3) that
in the investigated HVOF-coatings, the amorphous
phase (APh) is present.
Data from XRD indicate that as a result of
HVOF-spraying of powders based on FeMoNiCrB
alloy, multiphase coatings were produced, having an
amorphous crystalline structure. All the coatings have Figure 3. X-ray patterns of HVOF-coatings: a — FeMoNiCrB;
additional crystalline peaks against the background of b — FeMoNiCrB‒(Ti, Cr)C; c — FeMoNiCrB‒ZrB2
halo from the amorphous phase. On X-ray patterns, ment of the initial alloy, is presented in the coatings in
the maximum peak on the amplitude from the crystal- the form of oxides (Fe3O4, FeO, FeMoO4,Ni0.4Fe2.6O4),
line phase against the background of the amorphous borides (Mo2FeB2, Fe2B), intermetallides (FeCr, Fe2Ti,
halo corresponds to the phases of Fe2B and FeCr in Ni3Fe), carbides (Fe15.1C, FeC8) and (Fe, Ni)-solid
the coating FeMoNiCrB; TiC0.3N0.7 in the coating solution. In the coating FeMoNiCrB‒ZrB2, iron in a
FeMoNiCrB‒(Ti, Cr)C and the phase ZrB2, in the pure form was also revealed.
coating FeMoNiCrB‒ZrB2. In all the coatings, the The obtained results of the study of HVOF-coat-
intermetallide phase Cr7Ni3was recorded, having a ings based on the FeMoNiCrB alloy are shown in
tetragonal crystalline structure. Iron, as the main ele- Table 2.

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Yu.S. Borysov et al.

CONCLUSIONS deposited by arc spraying for boiler applications. J. of Ther-

mal Spray Technology, 22(5), 820–827. DOI: https://doi.
Applying the method of high-velocity oxy-fuel spray- org/10.1007/s11666-012-9876-5
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The produced coatings are characterized by a uni- havior of B4C reinforced Fe-base bulk metallic glass compos-
form distribution of structural components, have a struc- ite coating. Surface and Coatings Technology, 205(7), 1962–
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Received: 22.11.2021
Accepted: 31.03.2022

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