Mon, 18 November, 2024
Findings from the TWI-assisted FORGE project have been published in the journal of Surface and Coatings Technology.
A paper, ‘Deposition Behaviour of FeCrMnNiCo Coatings Deposited using Mechanically Alloyed Powder: Comparing Cold Spray, HVOF, HVAF, and Laser Cladding Processes,’ was co-authored by experts from TWI Ltd, the Materials Innovation Centre, Empa, and MBN Nanomaterialia S.p.A.
The authors, Deepak Sharma, Ahamed Ameen, Ali Alperen Bakir, Dibakor Boruah, Emily Davison, Krzysztof Wieczerzak, Krzysztof Maćkosz, Alvise Bianchin, and Shiladitya Paul examine the characteristics of mechanically alloyed (MA) Cantor alloy powder and the coatings produced from it using a range of deposition techniques, including cold spray (CS), high-velocity oxy-fuel, high-velocity air-fuel, and laser cladding (LC).
Microstructure analysis of the MA powder showed an irregular morphology and incomplete elemental mixing. The microstructure of the CS coating, meanwhile, displayed an FCC crystal structure, with some XRD peaks corresponding to BCC phases as a result of the presence of unmixed elements.
In contrast, all of the other coatings also exhibited oxides alongside FCC and BCC phases, with the LC coating containing a higher concentration of oxides. These coatings demonstrated high density and diverse microstructures, with CS coatings showing an effective transfer of powder microstructure.
The results showed that the CS coating had the highest hardness due to the retention of deformed microstructure from the powder, while the LC coating had the lowest hardness. CALPHAD calculations using Thermo-Calc suggest that the presence of oxides in the coatings could be thermodynamically feasible, depending on the conditions. The study also showed that deposition efficiency varied significantly between the techniques, with LC achieving the highest efficiency and CS the lowest.
You can see the paper, in full, here.
To find out more about the FORGE project, on the dedicated project website, here.
The FORGE project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 958457