Influence of cooling-mediums on surface properties of HVOF treated thrust-plate

The current study aims to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of the thrust plate of the gear pump using High Velocity Oxy-fuel (HVOF) surface treatment. Further, this research focuses on the effects of different cooling mediums (Air, Water, Kerosene oil, Olive oil, and Hydraulic oil) on HVOF-treated samples of the thrust plate. The result shows that the micro-hardness of HVOF-treated samples has increased significantly by 142% (maximum ∼ 188 HV 0.2 ) for water-cooled sample as compared to untreated sample (78 HV 0.2 ). The coefficient of friction for the untreated sample was 0.44, whereas it was found to be 0.39, 0.27, 0.20, 0.06, and 0.04 for the HVOF-treated samples quenched in Water, Air, Kerosene, Olive oil, and Hydraulic oil, respectively. A significant increment in water contact angle (WCA) was observed for the HVOF-treated sample (hydraulic oil cooled - 111°) as compared to the untreated thrust plate sample (WCA - 61.8°).