Formation of Metallic Glass Coatings by Detonation Spraying of a Fe66Cr10Nb5B19 Powder

The present work was aimed to demonstrate the possibility of forming Fe66Cr10Nb5B19 metallic glass coatings by detonation spraying and analyze the coating formation process. A partially amorphous Fe66Cr10Nb5B19 powder with particles ranging from 45 µm to 74 µm in diameter was used to deposit coatings on stainless steel substrates. The deposition process was studied for different explosive charges (fractions of the barrel volume filled with an explosive mixture (C2H2 + 1.1O2)). As the explosive charge was increased from 35% to 55%, the content of the crystalline phase in the coatings, as determined from the X-ray diffraction patterns, decreased. Coatings formed at explosive charges of 55–70% contained as little as 1 wt.% of the crystalline phase. In these coatings, nanocrystals in a metallic glass matrix were only rarely found; their presence was confined to some inter-splat boundaries. The particle velocities and temperatures at the exit of the barrel were calculated using a previously developed model. The particle temperatures increased as the explosive charge was increased from 35% to 70%; the particle velocities passed through maxima. The coatings acquire an amorphous structure as the molten particles rapidly solidify on the substrate; cooling rates of the splats were estimated. The Fe66Cr10Nb5B19 metallic glass coatings obtained at explosive changes of 55–60% showed low porosity (0.5–2.5%), high hardness (715–1025 HV), and high bonding strength to the substrate (150 MPa).