Adhesion-Related Phenomena of Stellite 6 HVOF Sprayed Coating Deposited on Laser-Textured Substrates

Abstract

The focus of this research is to examine the feasibility of using laser texturing as a method for surface preparation prior to thermal spraying. The experimental part includes the thermal spraying of a Stellite 6 coating by High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) technology on laser-textured substrates. The thermal spraying of this coating was deposited both on conventional substrate material (low carbon steel) and on substrates that had been previously heat treated (nitrided steel). The properties of the coatings were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy (OM) and Raman spectroscopy. Adhesion was assessed through a tensile adhesion test. The results showed the usability of laser texturing in the case of carbon steel, which was comparable or even better than traditional grit blasting. For nitrided steel, the problem remains with the hardness and brittleness of the nitrided layer, which allows for the propagation of brittle cracks near the interface and thus reduces the adhesion strength.