Non-Contact Roughness Investigation of Ball-Cratered Molybdenum Thermal Spray Coatings

The effects of micro-abrasion wear on the surface roughness of molybdenum coatings deposited by electric arc thermal spray on steel support were investigated. The 2D surface roughness was measured and correlated with the experimental results of the micro-abrasion tests. Different worn surfaces which correspond to running-in and steady stage of wear were investigated in terms of the microstructure, 3D image and 2D surface roughness. The micro-abrasion tests were made in the presence of a SiC abrasive slurry for test durations between 200 – 1600 s and the worn surfaces were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and stereomicroscopy.