Tribological behavior of ferrous-based APS coatings under dry sliding conditions

Abstract

The use of Al-alloys for engine blocks production, instead of e.g., gray cast iron, results with weight savings and lower fuel consumption and therefore, reduces pollution. Possible solution for overcoming poor tribological properties of Al-alloys is the application of thermal spray coatings. In this paper, the tribological properties of two ferrous-based coatings were analyzed and compared with gray cast iron as a standard material for engine blocks. The process used for coating deposition on an Al-Si alloy substrate was atmospheric plasma spraying. In order to investigate the tribological behavior of these coatings under dominant adhesive and abrasive wear regime, two tests were applied with different test equipments and conditions. Both tribological tests showed that, for the investigated conditions, both coatings had improved wear resistance and lower coefficient of friction compared with gray cast iron.