Tribological behavior of GNPs doped Al2O3 coating fabricated by SHVOF thermal spraying on cemented carbide

This paper aims to experimentally investigate the effect of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) doped Al2O3 coating deposited on the surface of cemented carbide substrate using suspension high velocity oxy fuel (SHVOF) thermal spraying technique. Scanning electron microscopy was applied to characterize GNPs doped Al2O3 feedstock, the surface morphologies of cemented carbide before and after spraying, and the wear track morphology of cemented carbide after wear tests. The phases of GNPs doped Al2O3 feedstock, uncoated and coated cemented carbide were analyzed by X‐ray diffraction. The existence of GNPs was analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. A mixture of un‐molten and molten splats formed on the surface of cemented carbide substrate after SHVOF thermal spray. The average coefficient of friction (CoF) of coated samples was slightly lower than that of uncoated samples, which might be due to the friction‐reduction effect of GNPs. The wear rate of the samples was one order of magnitude higher than that of the alumina ball, showing that the wear of samples was the main wear between the friction couples. The wear mechanism of uncoated sample was mainly fatigue spalling, and that of cemented carbide substrate coated with GNPs doped Al2O3 coating was mainly plowing and abrasive wear.