Effect of boron carbide on properties of arc spraying coatings

A cored wire containing the boron carbide ceramic powder and other alloying elements powder was fabricated with 304L stainless steel sheath and the metal ceramic composite coating was deposited by arc spraying.The feasibility of boron carbide in the application of arc spraying was studied.The microstructure,phase compositions and worn surface morphologies of the coatings were analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.High temperature abrasive wear performance and erosion performance were evaluated by high-temperature abrasive wear tester designed by authors and high temperature erosion devices,respectively.The results show that the cored wires have good process ability for arc spraying.The composite coatings contains Fe₃B,CrB,FexNi_23-xB₆,Fe₂₃(C,B)₆,(Cr,Fe)₇C₃ and Fe₃C hard phases due to the in-situ synthesis of B₄C ceramic particle with other alloying elements powder,which result in a significant increase in the hardness,wear-resistantance and erosion-resistantance of the coating.