The hardfacing properties of the nickel-based coating deposited by the PTA process with the addition of wc nano-particles: Wear investigation

The impact of the addition of tungsten carbide (1 to 7 wt%) on the microstructure and wear characteristics of the nickel–tungsten carbide composite layer fabricated by the plasma transferred arc (PTA) process was studied. With the addition of nanoparticles, the degree of segregation becomes lower while heterogeneous nucleation increases and refining of the microstructure enhances. Wear rate and coefficient of friction for all samples with increasing the load from 1 to 5 N decrease and wear mechanism changes from abrasive to adhesive. The higher wear resistance for samples with 3%wt is due to a decrease in the porosity of the composite coatings, strong interfacial bonding, and promotion in the deposition efficiency at the same time.