Study on the friction and wear properties of nickel-based-WC-10Ni composite coatings prepared on the surface of TC4 titanium alloy

Abstract A nickel-based WC-10Ni composite coating was fabricated via vacuum brazing at 1160 °C, using TC4 titanium alloy as the matrix, WC-10Ni powder as the hard phase, and BNi-5 as the brazing material. The study examined the coating’s microstructure and analyzed the impact of the WC-10Ni ratio and friction test temperature on its wear resistance, alongside a discussion of the wear mechanism. The results revealed that the hard layer of the composite coating comprised TiC, W, and minor amounts of Ti 5 Si 3 and α -Ti, while the interface layer displayed a network structure of Ti 2 Ni and Ti 5 Si 3 . Using a Si 3 N 4 ceramic ball as the counter-wear material, under conditions of a 10N load, 318 r min −1 rotational speed, 3 mm wear radius, and 30 min wear duration, the average friction coefficients of the three composite coatings were 0.289, 0.241, and 0.271, and their wear rates were 65.8%, 39.7%, and 52.7% of the substrate, respectively. The 50% WC-10Ni coating exhibited the best wear resistance, with adhesive wear being the dominant mechanism, accompanied by minor abrasive wear. Friction tests on the 50% WC-10Ni coating at 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C revealed that the lowest wear rate, 0.35 × 10 −5 mm 3 N −1 m −1 , occurred at 600 °C, where the average friction coefficient was 0.432 and oxidative wear was predominant. At 800 °C, the coating suffered significant damage, resulting in deteriorated wear resistance.