Wear resistance of thermal sprayed coatings on the base of recycled hardmetal

The application of used (recycled) hardmetal base powders for new composite powder production for thermal spraying was studied. The detonation method for the deposition of sprayed WC-Co hardmetal coatings and spray and fusion technology for laying of melted self-fluxing alloy-base composite coatings containing WC-Co hardmetal particles were used. The abrasion-erosion wear resistance of sprayed WC-Co hardmetal coatings and composite coatings from self-fluxing Ni-base alloy and WC-Co hardmetal powders was evaluated. The prospects of used hardmetal base powder application for thermal spraying were shown. The wear resistance of sprayed used WC-Co hardmetal-based coatings was two times lower than comparative coatings from Amdry powder; the spray and fused composite coatings exhibited a 200% higher wear resistance than non-coated steel. The ways of improving the abrasion-erosion wear resistance of sprayed and melted used WC-Co hardmetal powder-based thermal sprayed coatings are offered: using a narrow range of granulometry of powder, plated with Co and Ni hardmetal powder and powder with spheroidal particles. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.