Design and Processing of Hard and Self-Lubricating NiCr/hBN-cBN Composite Coatings by Laser Cladding: Investigation of Microstructure, Hardness, and Wear
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
3.1. Phase Distribution
3.2. Analysis of Microstructure Morphology
3.3. Hardness Analysis
3.4. Wear Resistance Analysis
3.5. Worn Surface Analysis
4. Conclusions
- Regardless of the role of wear improver, NiCr-2%hBN-12%cBN coating improves compaction, removes defects, and improves microstructure.
- The NiCr-2%hBN-12%cBN coating showed a 43% and 10% increase in hardness compared to the coatings reinforced with hBN and cBN, respectively. This was because of the high hardness of cBN and the simultaneous creation of inhomogeneous nucleation sites by hBN and cBN.
- The simultaneous presence of hBN and cBN in the NiCr-2%hBN-12%cBN coating caused an increase in the driving force of nucleation and expansion of the equiaxed grain area. This, along with the hardening role of cBN and self-lubricating hBN, reduced the COF compared to the other two coatings.
- The NiCr-2%hBN coating had a higher wear rate (0.54 × 10−6 mm3/N·m) but with a lower fluctuation due to the B-N layer bond than the NiCr-12%cBN coating, which had a lower wear rate (0.31 × 10−6 mm3/N·m) but with a higher fluctuation. Combining hBN and cBN in the NiCr-2%hBN-12%cBN coating made use of the effective role of each of the above particles to achieve high wear resistance with reduced wear rate (0.22 × 10−6 mm3/N·m) and fluctuation.
- The wear mechanisms for hBN, cBN, and hBN-cBN reinforced coatings were adhesive wear, abrasive wear, and oxidative wear, respectively. The simultaneous presence of hBN-cBN does not have plow and debris like cBN coating. HBN causes self-lubrication, and cBN prevents Si3N4 abrasive ball from penetrating the next layers.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Al | Ti | Cr | Co | Ta | W | Mo | C | Fe | B | Zr | Ni |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3.1 | 4.8 | 14.2 | 8.4 | 1.8 | 3 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 0.08 | 0.015 | 0.04 | Bal |
Metal (Matrix) | Ceramic (Reinforcement) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Specimen | Ni | Cr | hBN | cBN |
MT1 | 80 | 20 | 2 | - |
MT2 | 80 | 20 | - | 12 |
MT3 | 80 | 20 | 2 | 12 |
Scan Speed (mm/s) | Pulse Frequency (Hz) | Pulse Duration (ms) | Spot Diameter (mm) | Protective Gas (Ar) (L/min) | Carrier Gas (Ar) (L/min) |
8 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 15 |
Specimen | Zone | Ni | Cr | B | N | Co |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MT1 | A | 52.7 | 47.3 | - | - | - |
B | 53.6 | 44.1 | - | - | 2.3 | |
MT2 | C | 66.2 | 29.2 | - | - | 4.6 |
D | 7.5 | 76.6 | 10.3 | 5.6 | - | |
MT3 | E | 10.9 | 32.4 | 13.7 | 7.8 | - |
F | 65.1 | 29.4 | - | - | 5.5 |
Specimen | Zone | Ni | Cr | B | N | O |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MT1 | A | 19.5 | 13.8 | - | - | 66.7 |
MT2 | B | 13.4 | 17.4 | - | - | 69.2 |
C | 19.6 | 34.6 | - | - | 45.8 | |
MT3 | D | 13.1 | 15.6 | 71.3 | ||
E | 42.6 | 32.8 | - | 2.7 | 21.6 |
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Taheri, M.; Shirvani, K. Design and Processing of Hard and Self-Lubricating NiCr/hBN-cBN Composite Coatings by Laser Cladding: Investigation of Microstructure, Hardness, and Wear. Photonics 2025, 12, 265. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12030265
Taheri M, Shirvani K. Design and Processing of Hard and Self-Lubricating NiCr/hBN-cBN Composite Coatings by Laser Cladding: Investigation of Microstructure, Hardness, and Wear. Photonics. 2025; 12(3):265. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12030265
Chicago/Turabian StyleTaheri, Morteza, and Kourosh Shirvani. 2025. "Design and Processing of Hard and Self-Lubricating NiCr/hBN-cBN Composite Coatings by Laser Cladding: Investigation of Microstructure, Hardness, and Wear" Photonics 12, no. 3: 265. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12030265
APA StyleTaheri, M., & Shirvani, K. (2025). Design and Processing of Hard and Self-Lubricating NiCr/hBN-cBN Composite Coatings by Laser Cladding: Investigation of Microstructure, Hardness, and Wear. Photonics, 12(3), 265. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12030265