Effects of coating thickness and interfacial roughness on cracking and delamination strength of WC-Co coating measured by ring compression test

Abstract

The effects of coating thickness and interfacial roughness on the interfacial fracture toughness of tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) coatings were evaluated using a ring compression test. WC-Co powder was sprayed on steel (JIS:SS400) rings by a high-velocity air- fuel method in coatings with various thicknesses and values of interfacial roughness. The ring compression test was carried out, and the cracking and delamination behavior of the coatings was observed using charge-coupled-device cameras. The results showed that cracking perpendicular to the loading direction occurred in the coatings during the ring compression test, and the cracking strength obtained from the ring compression test decreased slightly with increasing coating thickness, but was independent of the interfacial roughness. Upon further increase of the compression load, the coatings delaminated from the substrate. The interfacial fracture toughness calculated from the delamination of the coatings during the ring compression test decreased with increasing coating thickness and increased with increasing interfacial roughness.