Applying FeAl coating on the low carbon steel substrate through self-propagation high temperature synthesis (SHS) process

In this research, a self-propagating high temperature synthesis method was applied for coating FeAl on the low carbon steel substrate. This technique is a combination of material fabrication with the coating process, simultaneously. Al and Fe were mixed regarding to have the stoichiometry of the reaction. The mixture was cold pressed at 150MPa and was put just on the substrate at 950°C in the air furnace without external pressure. The combustion synthesis occurred after 45–60s and the coating was formed. Microstructure of synthesized powders and coatings was investigated by scanning electron microscopy equipped with EDS and X-ray diffraction, respectively. Wear resistance of coatings and substrate was measured by using a pin-on-disk tribometer. The results illustrated that high temperature of SHS reaction led to appropriate adherence of the coating and substrate. In addition, the tribological properties of coated specimens significantly improved. The results of the wear test demonstrated that the mass loss percentage of the substrate was almost 4 times more than that of coated specimen. The corrosion evaluations using potentiodynamic polarization test disclosed that the obtained coating had better performance than that of low carbon steel. •FeAl coating was synthesized on low carbon steel substrates by SHS process.•A nonporous layer with good adherence to substrate was detected by SEM evaluations.•The acquired coated layer contains Al2O3 and Fe–Al–C particles dispersed in FeAl matrix.•The coating revealed an improved wear and corrosion resistance compared to steel.