Studies on air jet erosion behavior of plasma-sprayed Cr2C3 coatings on Al6061 alloy

This study assesses the efficacy of plasma-sprayed Cr2C3 coatings on AA6061 aluminum alloy in reducing erosion at different angles (30, 60, and 90°). The experimental setup involved maintaining a distance of 80 mm between the components, feeding the powder at a rate of 55 g/min, and applying a current density of 460 amps. Weight loss measurements and surface morphology analyses were performed using scanning electron and confocal microscopy. The findings suggest that the Cr2C3 coating significantly improves erosion resistance when compared to specimens without any coating. The erosion angle had a significant impact on the performance of the coating. The coating experienced the least weight loss at an angle of 30° (28.45 g), followed by increased losses at angles of 60° (30.34 g) and 90° (34.2 g). These findings emphasize the significance of the impact angle in determining the severity of material removal. •The study found that the angle of erosion has significant impact on Cr2C3 coatings, excelling at 30° with minimal loss.•Plasma-sprayed Cr2C3 coatings on AA6061 provide superior erosion resistance over untreated.•Efficiency of Cr2C3 coatings depends on standoff distance (80 mm) and powder feed rate (55 g/min).•Plasma spraying current density (460 amps) is crucial for Cr2C3 coating performance.