Influence of Pre-Milling of Cr3C2-25 NiCr Spray Powder on the Fatigue Life of HVOF-Sprayed Coating on ASTM A516 Steel Substrate

The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the influence of the powder size of Cr3C2-25NiCr spraying powder on the fatigue behavior of HVOF-sprayed coating on the ASTM A516 steel substrate. Conventional commercial Cr3C2-25NiCr spraying powder was previously treated through high-energy milling. The crystallite sizes of milled powders were measured by X-ray diffraction and transmission electronic microscopy. Three different powder formats of the same Cr3C2-25NiCr composite were subjected to HVOF spraying to produce (i) a Milled-Coating (from high-energy milled spray powder), (ii) an Original-Coating (from conventional commercial spray powder), and (iii) a 50%–50% mixture of both (Milled + Original-Coating). The same spraying conditions were adopted for all the assessed cases. The sprayed coatings were investigated through the Knoop hardness test and SEM-EDS analysis. In addition, 3-point bending fatigue tests were conducted at different stress levels up to 107 cycles. The coating morphology and roughness effects on fatigue behavior were analyzed. The Cr3C2-25NiCr milled coating presented a lower fatigue life above the fatigue limit and a higher fatigue limit than other coatings; this outcome could be attributed to its lower surface roughness and finer grain size microstructure.