Plasma spray synthesis of TiB₂–Fe coatings

Titanium boride possesses so high a hardness that it could be considered a good candidate for the production of wear‐resistant coatings. However, conventional coating processes failed to achieve thick TiB₂ coatings with appropriate mechanical strength for industrial application. To overcome their brittleness and take advantage of their hardness, titanium boride should be adequately dispersed in an appropriate metal matrix. To meet these requirements, TiB₂–Fe coatings were produced via a synthesis process. In this work, TiB₂–Fe coatings have been synthesized through the endothermic reaction of ferrotitanium with ferroboron. The fabrication technique consists in plasma spraying micropellets comprising the reagents and in depositing the as‐reacted products onto a substrate. Spraying parameters were studied and optimized to ensure the synthesis of TiB₂. By this one‐step process, thick abrasion resistant TiB₂–Fe coatings have been obtained.