Influence of plasma nitriding on tribological performance of HVOF sprayed AISI 316L and AISI 420 stainless steel coatings

Abstract

Low-carbon steel has been widely used in various industrial applications and undergoes different surface treatments in contemporary practices to enhance wear resistance, corrosion resistance and hardness. Wear is a primary cause of damage to machine components under varying conditions like temperature, humidity, load and speed. This study focuses on improving wear resistance through coating applications. A reciprocal tribological test was conducted under a 30 N load with a 57.5 m sliding distance at 2500 cycles and 20 mm/s sliding speed. Two coatings, AISI 316L austenitic and AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel were applied using the HVOF method and subjected to plasma nitriding at 450 and 500 °C. Tests verified that the HVOF sprayed AISI 316L stainless steel coating nitrided at 450 °C offers the best wear resistance.