Erosion behaviour of cold sprayed coatings made of CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy or composite powders containing WC hard particles in a pure nickel matrix

Abstract: In this study, the performance of three different coatings against erosion by impingement of alumina particles was evaluated. The coatings were made of CrMnFeCoNi, WC-Ni and WC-Ti by cold spray method and using nitrogen as process gas on 316L stainless steel substrates. After deposition, the WC-Ti composite coatings were subjected to heat treatment in an argon atmosphere furnace at different temperatures. Microstructural inspection by XRD showed the formation of TiC for the coating exposed to heat treatment at 650°C. After production of the coating, microhardness assessments were performed for all the samples. The coatings were then subjected to erosion tests under the dry action of alumina particles. After the impingement erosion tests, SEM microstructural characterisation was also performed to assess the erosion behaviour of each sample.