Development & characterization of composite coatings on A-36 steel using HVOF technique

Surface engineering is a new growing technique which focuses on improving the surface properties of a material. In this research work, we have studied the tribological behaviour of Silicon Carbide coating on A-36 mild steel. The surface was deposited with Nickel by electroless deposition and then by Silicon Carbide by High-Velocity Oxy Flame (HVOF) process. The microstructure and wear properties were studied by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDAX). Hardness was studied by Vickers Hardness Technique, and an increase of 70% in the hardness of the coated material was observed and it has been compared with the erosive behaviour of the material. The composite density was found to be 7.37 g/cm³. Slurry erosion tests were conducted by varying sand concentrations (10g, 20g, 30g, 40g) with NaCl (3.5g) for a time duration of 30 minutes at 500 rpm.