Comparative Micro-Scale Abrasive Wear Testing of Thermally Sprayed and Hard Chromium Coatings

Nowadays, due to the carcinogenic effects of chrome, replacing the hard chromium used for hydraulic components like rods and cylinders is becoming increasingly requested. Thermally sprayed coatings are a solution to the problem; however, proper understanding and characterisation of their tribological behaviour are essential for the successful exploitation of surface engineering. Thus, the main aim of this study is to evaluate the abrasive wear characteristics of two metal sprayed layers, tungsten carbide (WC) deposited through the high-velocity oxygen fuel coating (HVOF) method and Fe alloy coating deposited through thermal spraying with an electric arc with a wire-electrode G3Si1, and compare the results with those of an electrochemically deposited hard chromium layer. Their wear resistance is then related to their hardness. The results highlight the tribological performances of the thermally sprayed coatings. The HVOF WC10Co4Cr coating has a wear coefficient and a material wear volume that are hundreds of times lower than those of the other two coatings.