Mechanical Alloying Fabrication of Nano-ZrB2-Reinforced CoNiCrAlY Composite Powders and Microstructure-Property Characterization of the Resultant Coatings

doi:10.11900/0412.1961.2023.00177

Acta Metall Sin

2025, Vol. 61

Issue (4): 619-631 DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2023.00177

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Mechanical Alloying Fabrication of Nano-ZrB₂-Reinforced CoNiCrAlY Composite Powders and Microstructure-Property Characterization of the Resultant Coatings

YANG Kang, XIN Yue, JIANG Zitao, LIU Xia, XUE Zhaolu, ZHANG Shihong(

)

Key Laboratory of Green Fabrication and Surface Technology of Advanced Metal Materials, Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, China

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YANG Kang, XIN Yue, JIANG Zitao, LIU Xia, XUE Zhaolu, ZHANG Shihong. Mechanical Alloying Fabrication of Nano-ZrB₂-Reinforced CoNiCrAlY Composite Powders and Microstructure-Property Characterization of the Resultant Coatings. Acta Metall Sin, 2025, 61(4): 619-631.

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Abstract

High-temperature furnace rolls are subjected to extreme conditions, including high temperatures and heavy loads, rendering them susceptible to oxidation, wear, and other forms of failure. To address these issues, this study investigates the preparation and properties of CoNiCrAlY-ZrB₂ composite powders and coatings. CoNiCrAlY serves as the metal matrix, and ZrB₂ acts as the ceramic reinforcement phase. Two variants of CoNiCrAlY-20%ZrB₂ (mass fraction) composite powders were fabricated using one-step and step-fashion mechanical alloying (MA) techniques (marked by MA-1 and MA-2, respectively). The microstructure and phase composition of the coatings were studied using SEM, XRD, and TEM. Mechanical properties were also investigated. High-temperature friction and wear tests were conducted at 550-950 ^oC. Results indicate that the particle size of the composite powder decreases with increasing MA time. Step-fashion MA successfully produced ZrB₂-reinforced CoNiCrAlY composite powder, with ZrB₂ particles evenly distributed throughout the CoNiCrAlY matrix. When alloyed for 35 h, the average particle size (D₅₀ = 38.6 μm) met the specifications for high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) spraying. CoNiCrAlY-20%ZrB₂ composite coatings were then prepared via HVOF spraying. Coatings derived from MA-2 powders exhibited higher melting states, denser microstructures, and lower porosity (0.28%) compared to those made with MA-1 powders. These coatings also displayed superior hardness (738 HV_0.3) and fracture toughness (5.21 MPa·m^1/2). High-temperature wear resistance was tested for both MA-1 and MA-2 composite coatings. At 950 ^oC, a protective glazing layer of Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, and CoCr₂O₄ was formed on the surface of the composite coatings. The coatings demonstrated effective self-lubrication at 750 ^oC due to the formation of the “glazing layer”. Above 750 ^oC, the MA-2 composite coating outperformed the one-step coating in wear resistance. Specifically, at 950 ^oC, the wear rate of the MA-2 composite coating was 1.71 × 10^-14 m³·N^-1·m^-1, considerably lower than that of the MA-1 composite coating (4.28 × 10^-14 m³·N^-1·m^-1). In conclusion, the addition of ZrB₂ nanoparticles to the CoNiCrAlY coating considerably enhanced its friction and wear properties at high temperatures. The step-fashion mechanical alloying method demonstrated superior coating density, hardness, and high-temperature wear resistance.

Key words: mechanical alloying HVOF CoNiCrAlY-ZrB₂ composite coating high-temperature friction and wear

Received: 21 April 2023

ZTFLH:

TG174.442

Fund: National Natural Science Foundation of China(U22A20110);Outstanding Youth Fund of Anhui Province(2108085J22)

Corresponding Authors: ZHANG Shihong, professor, Tel: (0555)2315291, E-mail: shzhang@ahut.edu.cn

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	YANG Kang
	XIN Yue
	JIANG Zitao
	LIU Xia
	XUE Zhaolu
	ZHANG Shihong

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https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/10.11900/0412.1961.2023.00177 OR https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/Y2025/V61/I4/619

Table 1 Chemical compositions of CoNiCrAlY powder and ZrB₂ ceramic powder

Fig.1 Surface SEM images of composite powders fabricated by one-step mechanical alloying (MA-1) (a-d) and step-fashion mechanical alloying (MA-2) (e-h) before sieving after different ball milling time
(a, e) 25 h (b, f) 30 h (c, g) 35 h (d, h) 40 h

Fig.2 Average diameters (D₅₀) (a) and percentages after sieving (b) of MA-1 and MA-2 composite powders after different ball milling time

Fig.3 Low magnified cross-section SEM images (a, c) and high magnified cross-section SEM images and EDS analyses (b, d) of composite powders by 30 h one-step mechanical alloying (a, b), and 35 h step-fashion mechanical alloying (c, d)

Fig.4 XRD spectra of CoNiCrAlY, MA-1, and MA-2 coatings

Fig.5 Surfacial (a, c, e) and cross-sectional (b, d, f) morphologies of different coatings
(a, b) CoNiCrAlY coating (c, d) MA-1 coating (e, f) MA-2 coating

Fig.6 TEM analyses of MA-2 coating

Table 2 Porosities, hardnesses, fracture toughnesses (K_IC), and bonding strengthes of three coatings

Fig.7 Coefficient of friction (COF) curves at different temperatures of CoNiCrAlY (a), MA-1 (b), and MA-2 (c) coatings (t—time)

Fig.8 Average COFs and wear rates of the three coatings at different temperatures

Fig.9 2D morphologies of worn tracks of CoNiCrAlY (a), MA-1 (b), and MA-2 (c) coatings

Fig.10 Low (a, c, e) and high (b, d, f) magnified SEM images of worn surface morphologies of the CoNiCrA1Y coatings at different temperatures
(a, b) 550 ^oC (c, d) 750 ^oC (e, f) 950 ^oC

Table 3 EDS analysis of worn surface of CoNiCrA1Y coating at different temperatures (in Fig.10)

Table 4 EDS analysis of worn surface of MA-1 coating at different temperatures

Table 5 EDS analysis of worn surface of MA-2 coating at different temperatures (in Fig.12)

Fig.11 Low (a, c, e) and high (b, d, f) magnified SEM images of worn surface morphologies of the MA-1 coatings at different temperatures
(a, b) 550 ^oC (c, d) 750 ^oC (e, f) 950 ^oC

Fig.12 Low (a, c, e) and high (b, d, f) magnified SEM images of worn surface morphologies of the MA-2 coating at different temperatures
(a, b) 550 ^oC (c, d) 750 ^oC (e, f) 950 ^oC

Fig.13 Raman spectra of worn surface at different temperatures
(a) CoNiCrAlY coating (b) MA-2 coating

Table 6 Comparisons of COF and wear rate between this study and other studies^{[2,5,19,24,25]}

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