A New Method for Evaluating the Bond Strength of Plasma-Sprayed NiCrBSi Coatings

Abstract

The bond strength is a critical consideration for the plasma-sprayed NiCrBSi coatings. However, the conventional methods for testing the bond strength of NiCrBSi coatings always cost time and money. If there is a simple method that could predict the bond strength of the prepared NiCrBSi coatings without destroying the coatings, it would be significantly beneficial for industrial applications. In this work, a new method was proposed based on the total areas of the interfacial pores for the NiCrBSi coatings. The NiCrBSi coating was prepared by plasma spraying technology and the as-sprayed coating was subsequently remelted by plasma arc using the powers of 20 kW, 25 kW, and 30 kW, respectively. The interfacial microstructures, the size distributions and total areas of the interfacial pores, interfacial hardness, and bond strength of all prepared coating samples were investigated. After remelting, the number and the total area of interfacial pores decrease with increasing the remelting power. Correspondingly, the interfacial hardness and bond strength of coatings increase with increasing the remelting power The bond strength of coatings basically has a linear relationship with the total area of interfacial pores. The built relationship may be used to predict the bond strength of NiCrBSi coatings.