Influence of Test Conditions on Sliding Wear Performance of High Velocity Air Fuel-Sprayed WC–CoCr Coatings

Sliding wear performance of thermal spray WC-based coatings has been widely studied. However, there is no systematic investigation on the influence of test conditions on wear behaviour of these coatings. In order to have a good understanding of the effect of test parameters on sliding wear test performance of HVAF-sprayed WC–CoCr coatings, ball-on-disc tests were conducted under varying test conditions, including different angular velocities, loads and sliding distances. Under normal load of 20 N and sliding distance of 5 km (used as ‘reference’ conditions), it was shown that, despite changes in angular velocity (from 1333 rpm up to 2400 rpm), specific wear rate values experienced no major variation. No major change was observed in specific wear rate values even upon increasing the load from 20 N to 40 N and sliding distance from 5 km to 10 km, and no significant change was noted in the prevailing wear mechanism, either. Results suggest that no dramatic changes in applicable wear regime occur over the window of test parameters investigated. Consequently, the findings of this study inspire confidence in utilizing test conditions within the above range to rank different WC-based coatings.