Effect of voltage and spray–off distance of electric-arc spray technique on surface properties of nickel–chrome (Ni–Cr) coating developed on 304L stainless steel

Abstract

Nickel–chrome coatings are widely used to improve surface properties and service life of engineering components made from different ferrous and non–ferrous alloys. Herein, an attempt has been made to investigate the impact of various voltages ranging from 26–30 V and spray–off distances ranging from 100–300 mm of electric-arc spray technique on the surface properties of Ni–Cr coating developed on 304L stainless steel. Thickness, porosity, surface morphology, surface roughness, and hardness of Ni–Cr coatings were determined to study the impact of deposition parameters. Coating deposition at 26 V exhibited the lowest porosity and the highest percentage of Cr nodules among all samples. The comparison study showed that coating deposit developed at 26 V and 100 mm spray–off distance has a maximum thickness, followed by coating developed at 30 V and 100 mm spray–off distance. This indicated that coating deposit developed at 100 mm spray–off distance results in thicker coatings. Maximum hardness was achieved at 30 V and 300 mm spray–off distance. The shorter spray–off distance revealed that coatings tend to be thicker and harder resulting in longer coating life.