Process Parameter Settings and Their Effect on Residual Stresses in WC/W2C Reinforced Iron-Based Arc Sprayed Coatings

Residual stresses have been a major source of concern, as they are an inevitable consequence of manufacturing and fabrication processes. The magnitude of these stresses is often as high as, or at least, comparable to the yield strength of the material. In terms of arc sprayed coatings, the utilization of bore hole drilling methods presents some practical disadvantages as mechanical parameters (Poisson’s ratio, Young’s modulus) need to be identified in order to determine the residual stress distribution. Curvature techniques using Almen strips are cost- and time-effective methods that can be used for analytical quality assurance. Within the scope of this work, a quantitative study of the amount of residual stresses induced in a twin wire arc spraying (TWAS) process for a given combination of process parameters was conducted using the incremental bore hole drilling method, as well as the curvature method including Almen strips. Therefore, the effect of the primary gas pressure, substrate preheating temperature, and handling parameters, such as the spray angle and gun velocity, which influence the coating deposition as well as the heat input into the substrate, are examined. The experiments were carried out by using an iron-based cored wire with cast tungsten carbides as filling. The results of both methods are in an acceptable accordance with each other. Different stress fields were observed depending on the parameter settings.