A Morphological Study and Effect of Intermediate Phase Formation on Hard and Wear Resistant SiC-Co Composite Coating on Low Carbon Steel via Arc Based Heat Source

Ceramic based coating is one of the surface engineering techniques for improving surface properties of material. SiC ceramic and Co based cermet coating material has high hardness, strength, superior wear and corrosion resistance for raising the surface features of low carbon steel. In this investigation, a cost-effective Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) heat source was utilised efficiently to form SiC-Co coating on low carbon steel. The examination of coated samples' morphology is conducted through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), revealing the presence of various Fe-rich dendritic structures within them. Furthermore, x-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis of these coated samples has identified the presence of different intermetallic hard phases, including FeSi, Fe2Si, CoSi2, CoSi. Hardness of SiC-Co coated surface is improved by around 1064 HV0.1, which is more than 4 times that of the untreated low carbon steel (similar to 230 HV0.1). High hardness and different intermediate phases improve the wear resistance of SiC-Co coated surface more than 20 times that of untreated low carbon steel. SEM analysis of wear tested SiC-Co coated surface noticed minor ploughing, scratches, debris, and delaminated layers. In contrast, large delaminated layers, severe scratches, and ploughing is noticed on untreated low carbon steel.