Microstructural and Tribological Characteristics of Sn-Sb-Cu-Based Composite Coatings Deposited by Cold Spraying

Sn-based Babbitt coatings are widely used for sliding in hydrodynamic bearings. The Babbitting of bearing surfaces is among others accomplished by casting; however, this implies some disadvantages such as segregations, or susceptibility to shrinkage defects. Thermal spraying represents a promising method to overcome these challenges. To date, no studies on Babbitt coatings deposited by means of low-pressure cold spraying (LPCS) are available in the literature. In this study, a first attempt is made to produce a Sn-Sb-Cu-based composite coating reinforced with alumina particles by means of LPCS which enables the coating of internal diameters (IDs) of cylindrical components. A tailor-made feedstock was utilized which consists of a powder mixture of Sn, Sb, Cu and alumina. The composite coating is investigated with regard to its microstructural and tribological characteristics using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as dry sliding experiments. Metallographic investigations demonstrate the feasibility of depositing an alumina-reinforced Sn-Sb-Cu-based composite coating with a dense microstructure and low porosity. The composite coating mainly consists of Sn, SbSn, Cu and hexagonal CuSn. Despite a small fraction of alumina particles, the microhardness of the composite coating is primarily determined by the formation of SbSn intermetallic phases dispersed in the soft Sn-Sb-rich matrix. The composite coating possesses a coefficient of friction of 0.43 +/- 0.01 and wear coefficient k of 17.27 +/- 7.77 x 10(-5) mm(3) N m(-1) sliding against a 100Cr6 counterbody.