Effect of WC-12Co content on wear and electrochemical corrosion properties of Ni-Cu/WC-12Co composite coatings deposited by laser cladding

Ni-Cu/WC-12Co composite coatings with 0–30 wt% of WC-12Co were prepared by laser cladding. SEM, EDS, XRD were used to study the changes of microstructure and phase composition. The microhardness, wear and corrosion resistance performance of composite coatings were analyzed by the microhardness tester, wear tester and electrochemical workstation. The results show no cracks in the four composite coatings. With increasing WC-Co content, the microhardness of the composite coating increases. The formation of (Co, Cu) compounds and WC improves the wear resistance of composite coating significantly. When the proportion of WC-12Co is 20 wt%, the wear resistance of the composite coating is the best, and the wear rate is 10% of the NiCu alloy. Moreover, the 30 wt% WC-12Co composite coating corrosion current density is 0.1 times of the NiCu alloy in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution at room temperature. •Crack-free NiCu composite coating with different WC-12Co contents were prepared by laser cladding.•Increasing WC-12Co content can improve the microhardness of composite coating.•WC-12Co can enhance the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of composite coating compared with NiCu alloy.•The wear resistance performance of the 20 wt% WC-12Co composite coating increases significantly, and its electrochemical corrosion resistance did not decrease.