Microstructural, mechanical, and tribological evaluation of CuAl - based coatings deposited by APS and HVOF

Thermal-sprayed tribological coatings have been extensively used in aerospace with the main purpose to overcome critical challenges such as abrasive wear, corrosion, and erosion under high temperatures and pressures. Such protective coatings can also play a crucial role in optimizing the efficiency of gas turbine engines and therefore in reducing the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. CuAl-based thermal sprayed coatings are commonly employed in tribological interfaces within gas turbine engines to improve the fretting wear resistance. These coatings are typically deposited by more traditional thermal spray techniques such as Air Plasma Spray (APS), which can result in high amount of oxidation within the coating. The main purpose of this study is to critically evaluate lower temperature deposition techniques such as High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF). More specifically, commercially available Cu-10Al powders were deposited by APS and HVOF and compared in terms of their microstructural, mechanical properties, and tribological behavior at various temperatures. The results showed that friction coefficient for both coatings was equivalent at room temperature while it was lower for the APS coating at high temperature. Similarly, the specific wear rates showed little difference at room temperature while the APS coating had a lower wear rate at elevated temperature.