Microstructure analysis on composite coating of Fe-based alloy added WC by plasma cladding

By plasma cladding and appropriate processing parameters, a coating metallurgically bonded to substrate was prepared on substrate of Q235 steel using Fe-based alloy adding 50% WC.The microstructure of the clad layer was investigated by SEM, XRD, EDS, and the microhardness distribution of the coating was also tested by microhardness tester.The results show that the WC particles in the composites are partly melted into the coating, and others distribute at the central and the bottom of the coating, which bond with the coating well.The coating with good bonding with substrate mainly consists of γ-Fe, WC, Fe₃W₃C, Fe₆W₆C and W₂C.The microhardness of the coating reaches 900~1 100 HV0.2.