Nucleation mechanism, particle shape and strengthening behavior of (Ti, Nb) (C, N) particles in Fe-based composite coatings by plasma spray welding

This study aimed to determine the nucleation mechanism, particle shape, and strengthening behavior of (Ti, Nb) (C, N) particles in Fe-based composite coatings. In this study, an in-situ technique combined with a plasma spray welding process was proposed to obtain a coating with in-situ (Ti, Nb) (C, N) particles. Composite coatings were successfully prepared on low-alloy steel by plasma spray welding using a mixture of Fe-based, Ti and Nb powders. N gas was used to provide the N atoms. The microstructural analysis results indicated that the reinforced particles transformed from irregular dendritic into massive and spherical particles, and then into spherical and lath particles, as the atomic ratio of Ti/Nb decreased. During solidification, TiN nucleated preferentially and Ti (C, N) particles were formed sequentially. Subsequently, NbC nucleated and grew with Ti (C, N) as its core, and (Ti, Nb) (C, N) particles were formed at the end. The microhardness values of these composite coatings were 680–970 HV, whereas that of low-alloy steel was 174 HV. The wear resistance of the composite coatings increased as the Ti/Nb atomic ratio decreased. The composite coating had the highest average microhardness and the best wear resistance when Ti/Nb = 1:3. Its average microhardness was five times more than that of the low-alloy steel. In addition, the mass loss of the composite coating was 0.4 mg, which is only one-sixth that of the low-alloy steel (2.4 mg). The main reason for this was the in-situ formation of (Ti, Nb) (C, N) particles, which were evenly distributed in the composite coatings.