SULZER TECHNI CAL REVI EW 1/2006

7 4164
HVOF-Sprayed Materials
Replace Hard-Chromium Plating
In industrial applications, hard-chromium
plating is increasingly being replaced with
HVOF-applied, carbide-containing materials.
While these coatings have good wear
protection properties, many hard-chromium
replacement applications also require
corrosion resistance. Sulzer Metco Woka, a
German subsidiary of Sulzer Metco,
develops corrosion-resistant coating
materials. During the development, a variety
of factors is taken into account, including
the coating chemistry, the spray process,
and the service environment of the coating.
ANDREAS KIRSTEN
MANFRED OECHSLE
RICHARD MOLL
SULZER METCO
Sulzer Metco DiamondJet

8
SULZER TECHNI CAL REVI EW 1/2006
Hard chromium, applied
electrochemically as plating,
has a long and comprehensive
history as a surface solution used
to prevent wear and corrosion.
Industrial applications include air-
craft landing gear, turbine engines,
hydraulics, and propeller hubs
(Fig. 1). However, human health
and environmental concerns over
the presence of hexavalent chromi-
um associated with this process
have caused many industries to
look for alternative solutions. For
applications with larger surfaces,
thermally-spraying of carbide-
containing materials using the
high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF)
process has proven to be a com-
petitive substitute (see box).
Lower Cost
Better Performance
Experience shows that, in many
cases, the right choice of the coat-
ing material can lower costs while
improving performance (Fig. 2). In
laboratory tests, however, some
HVOF-sprayed coatings have
demonstrated insufficient corro-
sion resistance. Therefore, the de-
velopment of coating materials
that exhibit both wear and corro-
sion resistance and can be used in
the HVOF process has high priori-
ty. For carbide-containing materi-
als, the agglomeration and sinter-
manufacturing technique is highly
promising, as many different
material combinations are possible
and because metallic matrices,
which influence the application
success, can be tailored precisely.
Cermet-type coatings, where the
carbide constituent is cemented
within a metallic matrix, are the
most suitable carbide-containing
materials with respect to wear and
corrosion resistance. In such a
coating system, the carbide pro-
vides wear protection, and the
metallic matrix can be formulated
from a corrosion-resistant alloy.
Tungsten carbide and chromium
carbide are the most commonly
used carbides for thermal spray.
Specialized Alloys
for Difficult Applications
While tungsten carbide and
chromium carbide are highly cor-
rosion-resistant, they are not used
as HVOF coating material in pure
form but rather in metallic matri-
ces. As in the cemented-carbide in-
dustry, for thermal spray powders,
single metal matrixes of nickel and
cobalt are most often used as well.
For applications requiring more
specific properties, specialized al-
loys can be used, such as cobalt-
chromium, nickel-chromium, and
nickel-chromium/ -molybdenum.
These metals are added either as
prealloyed powders or, for cost-
saving reasons, as finely pow-
dered elemental metals during the
homogenizing process of the spray
powder.
During sintering, they form
pseudoalloys with a corrosion re-
sistance that is nearly identical to
that of their prealloyed counter-
parts.
The matrix material, however, re-
mains the weak point of corrosion-
resistant coatings. In addition, the
coatings must be dense to prevent
the worst-possible condition of
electrolyte penetration to the sub-
strate. This penetration causes gal-
vanic coupling and results in cor-
rosion of the substrate and delam-
ination of the coating.
1 Apart from health concerns, legal
requirements also compel the elimi-
nation of hard-chromium plating in
industrial use. Sulzer Metco develops
coating materials that can replace
hard chromium in applications that
require high corrosion resistance, like
the coating of aircraft landing gear.
HVOF: An Alternative to Chromium Plating
HVOF is a thermal spray technology where a powder is fed into a spray gun. There, a
fuelusually ethylene, hydrogen, or keroseneis burned with oxygen, and the heated
and softened powder is ejected as a spray with the supersonic gases (see STR1/2004,
p. 4). HVOF is a flexible dry-coating technology with
low environmental impact. HVOF covers many ap-
plications with a variety of possible coating materi-
als. The use of hard chromium, however, is so preva-
lent that no single technology or material can replace
it generally. Among all choices, carbide-containing
materials are very promising due to their wide range
of application.
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SULZER TECHNI CAL REVI EW 1/2006
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3 Sulzer Metco Woka in Barchfeld (DE) carried out the
research. In the corrosion chamber (right), the polarization
resistance of the coatings was measured. Per definition, the
polarization resistance R (k cm
2
) is inversely proportion-
al to the corrosion rate of the coatings.
4 The long-term corrosion tests revealed the strong influ-
ence of the particle temperature, which is high for low
lambda values, or short stand-off distances. It was found
that the hotter the flame and, therefore, the hotter the
spray particles in the flame, the better the corrosion per-
formance of the coatingmeasured by the high polarization
resistance and high corrosion potential.
Contact
Sulzer Metco Woka GmbH
Andreas Kirsten
Im Vorwerk 25
36456 Barchfeld
Germany
Phone +49 (0)36961 861 42
Fax +49 (0)36961 861 33
andreas.kirsten@sulzer.com
Extensive Research
Sulzer Metco carried out a re-
search program to identify the
main parameters influencing the
hardness and corrosion resistance
of HVOF coating materials by
varying the fuel/oxygen ratio
lambda () and the distance be-
tween the HVOF spray gun and
the surface. The coatings were sub-
jected to standardized hardness
and wear test procedures and their
properties compared with those of
hard-chromium plating. In almost
every instance, the carbide coat-
ings exhibited higher coating
hardness and greater wear resist-
ance than galvanic hard-chromi-
um plating.
To study the corrosion resistance
of HVOF materials, the coatings
were electrochemically tested in
saline, acidic, and alkaline aque-
ous solutions for two hours and
twenty-four hours immersion time
(Fig. 3). The corrosion rate of the
coatings was compared with that
of the uncoated, low-carbon steel
substrate and with that of galvan-
ic hard chromium. HVOF coatings
with matrices of nickel-chromium
alloys demonstrated superior re-
sistance in all solutions. Further-
more, post-testing examination of
the interface of the coating to the
substrate revealed no signs of gal-
vanic corrosion.
Award-Winning Results
Carbide-containing materials cer-
tainly rival hard-chromium plat-
ing in terms of hardness and wear
resistance; tungsten carbide mate-
rials also have potentially better
corrosion resistance than hard-
chromium plating. Very good
durable corrosion resistance in dif-
ferent corrosive environments can
be obtained through the choice of
matrix material and the careful
control of the HVOF spray
process. Coatings must be very
dense in terms of interparticle
bonding to prevent electrolytes
from penetrating the coating. This
shields the substrate from attack,
which is particularly important
with less noble substrate materi-
als. The HVOF spray parameters
show a strong influence on the cor-
rosion behavior of coatings in
service (Fig. 4). Provided that the
formation of brittle carbide phases
is avoided, a higher particle tem-
perature is helpful. Thanks to this
extensive researchwhich re-
ceived a certificate of merit by two
reputed materials technology as-
sociationsSulzer Metco now of-
fers carbide-containing coating
materials that can replace hard-
chromium plating even in applica-
tions where high corrosion resist-
ance is required.
2 Coating landing gearhere a
Sulzer Metco DiamondJet spraying a
landing gear strutis the major use
of hard chromium in aircraft. With its
improved performance, the HVOF
process lowers the expected overhaul
frequency, thereby reducing the life-
time cost of ownership.
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Distance
300mm
300mm
300mm
350mm
Lambda
1.25
1.15
1.05
1.05
Time (hours)