Improvement in Wear Resistance of Nano WC-Co Coatings Fabricated by Detonation Gun Spraying

Nano structured WC-Co coatings with carbide size of 100−200nm were fabricated by detonation gun spraying. The fabricated nano coatings showed improved hardness and wear resistance compared to micron WC-Co coatings. Considerable phase decomposition of WC to W2C and amorphous phase in nano coatings was detected, which is known to degrade wear resistance of coatings. In order to improve the wear resistance of the coatings by recovering of dissociated carbide phases, post heat treatment was conducted in Ar environment at temperature range of 400−900°C. Harness, fracture toughness and wear resistance of nano coatings were significantly improved by post heat treatment. The improved properties were elucidated and discussed in terms of microstructure and phase compositions.