Cost-Effective UHVOF-Sprayed Coatings for the Wear Protection of Valves

Thermally sprayed WC/CoCr coatings are the most established coatings in the valve industry. However, due to the high wear resistance and as-sprayed surface roughness, the surface post processing costs are very high. Near-net-shaped fine powder coatings have the possibility to reduce the costs effectively. Due to the high specific surface to volume ratio of the powders, undesired phase transformations can occur during the spraying process. To avoid such phase transformations, the novel thermal spraying process UHVOF is used in this study. An extensive parameter study is carried out on the influences of the process parameters on microhardness, porosity, as-sprayed surface roughness, phase composition and wear resistance. With suitable process parameters, near-net-shaped and almost pore-free coatings can be applied. Compared to a conventional HVOF sprayed WC/CoCr coating, a wear reduction by a factor of three can be achieved in a pin-on-disk-test against Al₂O₃ at a load of F=15N. Due to the pore-free and highly wear-resistant coatings, significantly thinner coatings can be used for the protection against corrosion and wear in valves. In addition, the required surface quality of the near-net-shape coatings can be achieved by polishing only. Thus, the novel UHVOF coatings represent a cost-effective alternative to conventionally used valve coatings.