Quality control of NiCr-Cr3C2-hBN@Ni coating on thin-walled GH4169 alloy surface prepared by plasma spraying

As equipment lightweight trends progress, thin-walled structures have seen extensive application in critical aerospace components. Nevertheless, the aero-engine tail nozzle flaps are exposed to the harsh operating conditions of high-temperature friction, so there is an urgent requirement to prepare wear-resistant, self-lubricating coatings with a wide range of temperatures for their protection. Due to the poor rigidity and weak strength of thin-walled workpieces and complex forms of structural stresses, the processing is extremely difficult. In order to solve the thermal deformation problem of coating workpieces prepared by spraying on the surface of thin-walled workpieces, the effects of spraying path, cooling airflow, and spraying interval on the thermal force field of thin-walled workpieces to prepare NiCr-Cr3C2-hBN@Ni coating are investigated in this study using finite element simulation. As a result, the deformation and stress of thin-walled workpieces can be minimized by adding back-side cooling air during the spraying process and moving the cooling air with the gun in a set interval, with the maximum warpage and maximum stress being less than 2.366 mm and 0.177 GPa, respectively. During the spraying process by simulating the optimum spraying process, no significant warpage of the substrate occurred and the coating was sprayed with uniform thickness. Typically, the thickness error rate is 16.7 %, and the coating hardness reaches 15–20 GPa, with excellent tribological properties in a wear rate of 10−5 mm3·N−1·m−1 and 10−6 mm3·N−1·m−1, which protects the workpiece effectively. •We have elucidated the optimal spraying process for thin-walled components.•An integrated experimental approach that combines validation with simulation.•Coatings excel with no substrate deformation.