Microstructure and dry-sliding wear resistance of laser clad tungsten reinforced W5Si3/W2Ni3Si intermetallic coatings

Abstract Wear resistant tungsten reinforced W5Si3/W2Ni3Si intermetallic composite coatings consisting of small amount of well-developed tungsten primary dendrite and the metal silicides W5Si3/W2Ni3Si dual-phase structure were fabricated on a substrate of pure nickel plate by laser cladding process. Wear resistance of the coatings was evaluated under block-on-wheel dry-sliding wear test conditions at room temperature. Because of the strong covalent-dominant atomic bonds and the high hardness inherent to the tungsten silicides W5Si3 and W2Ni3Si, the intermetallic coatings have outstanding abrasive and adhesive wear resistance.