Long-term salt spray corrosion behaviors of HVOF-sprayed WC-Cr3C2-Ni coatings before and after vacuum sealing with silicone resin

The application of thermal sprayed WC based cermet coatings is restricted by their structure defects including pores and cracks during thermal spraying. This article fabricated a corrosion-resistant WC-Cr3C2-Ni coating by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying and vacuum sealing with silicone resin. Experiment outcomes show that silicone resin fills into the defects of the WC-Cr3C2-Ni coating. Benefiting from the block of silicone resin in pores and cracks, the sealed coating shows less corrosion pits than the unsealed coating after long-term salt spray corrosion. The sealed coating shows surface without grooves, corrosion pits with smaller size and cracks with decreased amount in comparison with the as-sprayed coating. The vacuum sealing with silicone resin is a strategy with high potential for expanding the application range of thermal sprayed coatings.