Microstructural and Mechanical Characterization of a Cold-Sprayed WC-12Co Composite Coating on Stainless Steel Hydroturbine Blades.

This study deals with WC-12Co coatings deposited by cold spraying on 13Cr4Ni steel hydraulic turbine blades. The coatings were deposited under different pressure conditions such as 25, 30, 40 bar at 800 °C, and 50 bar at 900 °C. The microstructural evolution under different pressure conditions and the effect of temperature variation were investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). In addition, the microhardness analysis of the coatings showed that the WC-12Co coating deposited at 40 bar 800 °C had the highest (270 HV) hardness which was a good attribute for anti-wear applications in hydraulic turbine blades according to most tribological theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]