Microstructure and Friction Behaviors of High Entropy Alloy Coating Prepared on Q235 Surface by HVAF Process

ZHANG Chong; LI Wei; YIN Fengshi; CHEN Jianhong; LI Wenrui; XUE Bing; ZHAO Kai; LU Nan; SUN Jinzhao

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.21.021

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Surface Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (21) : 284-293. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.21.021

Thermal Spraying and Cold Spraying Technology

Microstructure and Friction Behaviors of High Entropy Alloy Coating Prepared on Q235 Surface by HVAF Process

ZHANG Chong¹, LI Wei¹, YIN Fengshi¹, CHEN Jianhong¹, LI Wenrui¹, XUE Bing^1,*, ZHAO Kai^1,2, LU Nan^1,*, SUN Jinzhao¹

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Abstract

Mild steel is one significant engineering material which has been widely applied in architecture, manufacturing, aerospace and petrochemical industries, because of excellent processability and low cost. However, due to the low hardness of mild steel, serious wear problems often occur when it is used as a material for structural components subject to dynamic loads. To improve the wear resistance of Q235 mild steel in complex loading environments, one AlCrFe₂Ni₂(MoNb)_0.2 high entropy alloy coating was prepared on the surface of Q235 substrate by the high velocity air fuel spraying process (HVAF). XRD, SEM and TEM were combined to finish the microstructure characterization. Vickers hardness and tribological tests were used to characterize the mechanical properties of high entropy alloy coating and Q235 substrate. The surface of the prepared high entropy alloy coating was uniform, with an average roughness of about 7.6 μm. The prepared high entropy alloy coating had a thickness of about 320 μm and a porosity of approximately 0.706%. Due to the low temperature properties of the HVAF technology, the high entropy alloy coating greatly retained the original structure of the high entropy alloy powders. The high entropy alloy coating was mainly composed of BCC matrix, ordered phase B2 and Laves phase with HCP structure. The B2 phase rich in Al and Ni and the BCC phase rich in Fe and Cr were distributed in a "weaving pattern", which was a typical feature of the spinodal decomposition organization. The SEAD results showed superlattice dot pattern. Additionally, the 'skeletal' Laves phase was observed along the grain boundaries distribution. During the HVAF process, the synergistic effect of severe plastic deformation and high temperature resulted in the observation of a significant number of dislocations and refined grains formed by dynamic recrystallization as a result of dynamic recrystallization occurring in the high entropy alloy coating. The micro-hardness of the high entropy alloy coating and Q235 was 764HV0.05 and 155HV0.05, and the coating hardness was about 4.9 times of the Q235 substrate. During the deposition of the coating process, the high entropy alloy powder formed a significant work hardening effect on the surface of the Q235 steel, and the hardness at the interface of the Q235 substrate was about 238HV0.05. Tribological tests indicated that the coefficient of friction of the Q235 substrate and the high entropy alloy coating was 0.68 and 0.49. The wear rate of the high entropy alloy coating was 3.12×10^-5 mm³/(N·m), which was about 41.1% of the substrate wear rate. The main wear mechanism of the Q235 substrate was adhesive wear, while fatigue wear was the predominant mechanism for the high entropy alloy coating, accompanied by slight abrasive wear and oxidative wear. The high entropy alloy coatings with high hardness reduced the tendency for adhesive wear to occur by improving the ability of the substrate surface to resist plastic deformation. It effectively enhanced the mechanical properties of the surface of the Q235 substrate. In conclusion, preparing AlCrFe₂Ni₂(MoNb)_0.2 high entropy alloy coating on the surface can significantly improve the wear resistance of Q235 steel. Therefore, this study provides an effective strategy for surface protection of metallic materials.

Key words

HVAF / high entropy alloy / coating / microstructure / wear properties

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ZHANG Chong, LI Wei, YIN Fengshi, CHEN Jianhong, LI Wenrui, XUE Bing, ZHAO Kai, LU Nan, SUN Jinzhao. Microstructure and Friction Behaviors of High Entropy Alloy Coating Prepared on Q235 Surface by HVAF Process[J]. Surface Technology. 2025, 54(21): 284-293 https://doi.org/10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.21.021

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Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2024QE209); Scientific Innovation Project for Young Scientists in Shandong Provincial Universities (2023KJ145)