Pradeep, P.D.Venkataramaiah, V.C.Shivegowda, N.H.Medabalimi, S.R.2026-02-042023Applied Science and Engineering Progress, 2023, 16, 1, pp. -26729156https://doi.org/10.14416/j.asep.2022.03.007https://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/22191Thermal spray methods are used to increase the wear resistance of working surfaces. Microwave post-treatment is the advanced approach for enhancing the properties of thermal spray coatings. The current investigation focuses on the wear behavior of HVOF-sprayed and microwave-treated coatings. The WC12Co and CeO<inf>2</inf> modified WC12Co composite coatings were successfully deposited on AISI4140 steel using the HVOF thermal spray technique. The coatings were tested in both as-sprayed and microwave post-treatment conditions. The dry sliding wear tests were carried out at temperatures of RT, 200, 400, and 600 ℃ with various loads. Vickers hardness tester, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) equipments were used to investigate the microhardness, microstructure, and phases of coatings, respectively. In both compositions, the microwave-fused coating had a fine homogeneous structure and higher hardness than the as-sprayed depositions. For typical loads of 20 N and 40 N for both compositions, the friction coefficient decreased with increasing temperature in the as-sprayed and fused coatings. At all conditions, the microwave fused coating outperforms the as-sprayed coating in terms of wear resistance. During sliding action, the fused coatings exhibit tribo-oxide layers, which provide the best wear resistance of the microwave fused composite coatings. The wear resistance of the WC12Co coatings is improved as compared to CeO<inf>2</inf> modified WC12Co coatings. © 2022 King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok. All Rights Reserved.As-sprayedHVOFMicrohardnessMicrowave fusedSliding wearWC12Co