Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Plasma Cladding of Fe-Cr-C-Based Coatings: Microstructural Regulation and Wear Resistance Enhancement

Xu, Yubing; Zhang, Ding; Li, Kai; Tian, Chao; Li, Shanhui; Zhang, Ping; Ji, Zhe; Shen, Chengjin

doi:10.3390/met16070740

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Open AccessArticle

Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Plasma Cladding of Fe-Cr-C-Based Coatings: Microstructural Regulation and Wear Resistance Enhancement

by

Yubing Xu

^1,2,3,†,

Ding Zhang

^1,†,

Kai Li

^2,3,

Chao Tian

^2,3,

Shanhui Li

^2,3,

Ping Zhang

^1,*,

Zhe Ji

^1,*

and

Chengjin Shen

¹

School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

²

Xuzhou XCMG Excavator Machinery Co., Ltd., Xuzhou 221000, China

³

Xuzhou Key Laboratory, Xuzhou XCMG Excavator Machinery Co., Ltd., Xuzhou 221000, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.

Metals 2026, 16(7), 740; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16070740 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 8 June 2026 / Revised: 1 July 2026 / Accepted: 2 July 2026 / Published: 5 July 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Crystallography and Applications of Metallic Materials)

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Abstract

Fe-Cr-C-based coatings were fabricated on Q690 steel via ultrasonic vibration-assisted plasma cladding at varying ultrasonic powers (0–65 W) with a fixed frequency of 18.5 kHz. The coatings primarily consisted of martensite, retained austenite, and (Cr,Fe)₇C₃ carbides, along with (Cr,Fe,Mo)-B borides along grain boundaries. Increasing ultrasonic power promoted cavitation and acoustic streaming, which refined columnar dendrites, reduced elemental segregation (notably for B and Mo), and increased the fraction of fine equiaxed grains without altering phase composition. As a result, the average microhardness increased from 797.1 to 828.5 HV0.1. The friction coefficient decreased from 0.675 to 0.626, while the wear-track width, wear depth, and wear mass loss decreased from 4.0 mm to 2.5 mm, from 112.5 μm to 32.4 μm, and from 20.40 mg to 4.75 mg, respectively. The wear mechanism shifted from severe adhesive wear to mild abrasive wear. These results demonstrate that increasing ultrasonic vibration power effectively refines the solidification microstructure and significantly improves the hardness and wear resistance of plasma-clad Fe-Cr-C-based coatings

Keywords: ultrasonic vibration; plasma cladding; Fe-Cr-C-based coating; microstructure; wear resistance

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MDPI and ACS Style

Xu, Y.; Zhang, D.; Li, K.; Tian, C.; Li, S.; Zhang, P.; Ji, Z.; Shen, C. Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Plasma Cladding of Fe-Cr-C-Based Coatings: Microstructural Regulation and Wear Resistance Enhancement. Metals 2026, 16, 740. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16070740

AMA Style

Xu Y, Zhang D, Li K, Tian C, Li S, Zhang P, Ji Z, Shen C. Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Plasma Cladding of Fe-Cr-C-Based Coatings: Microstructural Regulation and Wear Resistance Enhancement. Metals. 2026; 16(7):740. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16070740

Chicago/Turabian Style

Xu, Yubing, Ding Zhang, Kai Li, Chao Tian, Shanhui Li, Ping Zhang, Zhe Ji, and Chengjin Shen. 2026. "Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Plasma Cladding of Fe-Cr-C-Based Coatings: Microstructural Regulation and Wear Resistance Enhancement" Metals 16, no. 7: 740. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16070740

APA Style

Xu, Y., Zhang, D., Li, K., Tian, C., Li, S., Zhang, P., Ji, Z., & Shen, C. (2026). Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Plasma Cladding of Fe-Cr-C-Based Coatings: Microstructural Regulation and Wear Resistance Enhancement. Metals, 16(7), 740. https://doi.org/10.3390/met16070740

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Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Plasma Cladding of Fe-Cr-C-Based Coatings: Microstructural Regulation and Wear Resistance Enhancement

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