Wear and Corrosion Behavior of Cold-Sprayed Cu-10Sn Coatings

Abstract

Gas-atomized Cu-10Sn powders as a potential substitute for sintered bronze layers are usually employed in plain-bearing shells produced by cold spray (CS) processes on steel substrates (AISI 1010). In this study, the effective thickness, i.e., approx. 450 µm, of the bronze overlay required for the bearing shell was successfully and cost-effectively deposited in a short time. A ball-on-disc test setup was used to explore the tribological behavior of cold-sprayed bronze coatings under dry sliding conditions, and the electrochemical corrosion behaviors of sprayed coatings at room temperature were also evaluated by using the potentiodynamic scanning (PDS) technique in acidic (0.01 M Na2SO4) and alkaline (3.5% NaCl) environments. The characterization of the sprayed bronze coatings revealed no formation of oxidation or new phases during cold spraying and that the coatings were well-adhered to the substrates, implying good bonding. The wear results demonstrated that, as the load and sliding distance increased, the friction coefficients and wear rates of the sprayed coatings decreased. The PDS results showed that the corrosion resistance of the Cu-10Sn coating layer in an acidic environment is higher than that in an alkaline environment. In addition, the coated layer presented no passivation or pitting onset due to the heavy corrosion reaction in an alkaline solution.