Studies on high-temperature erosion behaviour of HVOF sprayed NiCr based composite coatings

Abstract

Solid particle erosion at high temperature is a major problem in many industries and advanced protective coatings are needed to extend the service life of components subjected to harsh environment. The main objective of this study is to investigate the erosion behavior of HVOF sprayed (NiCr) + 5 % Si and (NiCr)+ 2% C based composite coatings at different impact angles and temperature, with specific emphasis on the effect of coating composition. The coatings exhibited excellent erosive wear resistance at elevated temperatures due to the formation of stable oxide layers (CrO, NiCr?O?, SiO?) and the incorporation of silicide phases (Ni?Si) to the NiCrSi coatings. However, NiCrC coatings containing hard carbide phases (such as NiC) showed higher erosion resistance at higher temperatures and normal impact angles (90°) because of their robust microstructure and thermal stability. The analysis of microhardness indicated that NiCrSi coatings provided higher hardness attributable to silicides and were therefore better suited to moderate erosive environments, whereas NiCrC coatings, with slightly lower hardness, exhibited excellent resilience under severe erosive environments. SEM, EDAX and XRD analyses showed that preferential erosion mechanisms were cutting and plowing at oblique angles (30°) and brittle fracture at normal angles (90°). Notably, at 800 °C, NiCrC coatings outperformed the NiCrSi coatings via consistently superior thermal and erosion resistance. These findings indicate that HVOF sprayed NiCrC coatings are suitable for high temperature erosion protection, and NiCrSi coatings are specifically developed for high erosive wear resistance at low impact angles. © 2025 The Author(s)