Microstructure and wear performance of arc-sprayed Al/316L stainless-steel composite coating

To improve the wear resistance of aluminium alloys, an Al/316L stainless-steel composite coating was successfully prepared on an aluminium alloy surface by two-channel-synchronization wire feeding arc spraying technology. The composite coating has a ductile (Al) and hard (stainless-steel) interpenetration structure. The interface between the substrate and the coating was fuzzy owing to the pinning interface of interpenetrating structure and the obvious diffusion layer near the interface, compared with 316L stainless-steel coating. The tribological properties of composite coatings were analysed. The wear resistance of the Al/316L stainless-steel composite coating was shown to be three times higher than that of the stainless-steel coating. The Al/316L stainless-steel composite coatings improved the wear resistance of aluminium alloy by a factor greater than nine. In the composite coating, the addition of Al splats promoted the formation of Fe3O4 and the interpenetrating structures, improving the wear resistance and crack propagation resistance of the coating. [Display omitted] •Al/316 L composite coating was successfully prepared by arc spraying technology.•Composite coating greatly improved wear resistance of the Al alloy.•Fe3O4 and ductile-hard structures improved the wear resistance of composite coating.