coatings
Article
Study on Wear Resistance and Corrosion Resistance of HVOF
Surface Coating Refabricate for Hydraulic Support Column
Mian Wu, Lin Pan *, Haitao Duan, Changxin Wan, Tian Yang, Mingchuan Gao and Siliang Yu






Citation: Wu, M.; Pan, L.; Duan, H.;
Wan, C.; Yang, T.; Gao, M.; Yu, S.
Study on Wear Resistance and
Corrosion Resistance of HVOF
Surface Coating Refabricate for
Hydraulic Support Column. Coatings
2021, 11, 1457. https://doi.org/
10.3390/coatings11121457
Academic Editor: Jin Xu
Received: 6 November 2021
Accepted: 24 November 2021
Published: 27 November 2021
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
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iations.
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
Coatings 2021, 11, 1457. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11121457
State Key Laboratory of Special Surface Protection Materials and Application Technology, Wuhan Research
Institute of Materials Protection, Wuhan 430030, China; josephwu9091@163.com (M.W.);
duanhaitao2007@163.com (H.D.); wanchangxin2010@163.com (C.W.); shanxiyt@163.com (T.Y.);
gaomch@163.com (M.G.); yusiliang110@163.com (S.Y.)
* Correspondence: panlin@rimp.com.cn
Abstract: The hydraulic support column bears loading and makes reciprocating motion ceaselessly
for extended periods, so its service life is far shorter than that of the overall hydraulic support. This
paper offers a comparative study on the surface coating of hydraulic support columns with hard
chrome plating and high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying refabricating to analyze the
impact of different refabricating processes on the microstructure, hardness, corrosion resistance, and
wear resistance of the coating (plating). The result shows that the structure of the HVOF coating
is uniformly compact, and the HVOF WC10Co4Cr coating has better wear resistance, more than
four times that of hard chrome plating. In the neutral salt spray test, the HVOF Ni60 coating shows
rustiness at 720 h of the test, which suggests its corrosion resistance is nearly five times that of hard
chrome plating. Hence, under the harsh corrosive wear environment, the refabricating HVOF Ni60 is
a more suitable replacement for the hydraulic support column coating than the hard chrome plating.
Thus, the HVOF Ni60 coating could be an effective replacement for hard chrome plating.
Keywords: hydraulic support column; electroplating hard chromium; HVOF; corrosion resistance;
wear resistance
1. Introduction
The hydraulic support is a core device of a fully mechanized coal face. It could effec-
tively support and control the roof of the working coal face [1]. It is essential supporting
equipment for coal mine underground operation, featuring the advantages of convenient
support, quick withdrawal, forceful initial support, uniform supporting force, and trans-
verse resistance [2]. In addition, the hydraulic support could isolate the empty area of
mining to improve the efficiency of fully mechanized coal mining equipment and release
the labor intensity of workers to maximally protect the life safety of workers [3]. The
working environment of hydraulic support is damp with the presence of SO2 , H2 S, Cl− ,
SO4 2− and other corrosive media [4], which causes severe corrosion and wearing; thus,
there is a higher resistance to wear and corrosion requirement for the hydraulic support [5].
The hydraulic support column performs a long-term bearing and ceaseless reciprocating
motion, so its service life is far shorter than that of overall hydraulic support and may,
therefore, greatly affect the safety, reliability, and service life of the entire hydraulic support.
Thus, refabricating the technology of the hydraulic support column could potentially create
high economic and social value.
The refabricating technology of the hydraulic support column could significantly
improve the wear and corrosion resistance of the workpiece surface [6], and protecting
the terminal with a coating (plating) is one of the most economical and effective passive
control methods [7]. By far, the refabricating of the hydraulic support column is based
on hard chrome plating, but the service life of the column is shorter after processing [8].
There is a penetrating microcrack on the plating surface, so the corrosion of the basal body
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/coatings
Coatings 2021, 11, 1457 2 of 12

would be accelerated in the damp environment once there was damage in the partial part
of the plating [9]. What is more, the plating would have rust stains, and they would extend
along the interface of plating and the basal body to cause blistering and peeling of the
plating [10]. Hence, the service life of the hydraulic support column should be extended by
a refabricating process.
This paper describes one recent thermal spray process, namely the HVOF thermal-
spray technology, and presents a survey of the studies on the use of this technique to
provide protection against corrosion and erosion-corrosion of high-temperature alloys,
with a particular emphasis on boiler steels.
Along with the strict requirement of environmental protection, WC-10Ni coating by
the high-velocity HVOF has significant strength in terms of wear resistance [11], corrosion
resistance [12], and fatigue resistance of the coating as a cleaning technology of the modern
industrial development [13]. Compared with others, the HVOF coating exhibits high
binding strength [14,15], high hardness [16], and low porosity [17,18] and, thus, could
effectively resolve the wear and corrosion problems on the surface of the hydraulic support
column [19]. The process has been the focus of scientific research and industrial application
in the past several years [20].
To provide reference and guidance for the study and application of the HVOF spraying
process in refabricating hydraulic support, the Ni60, WC10Co4Cr, and 316L, the three HVOF
coatings, are applied to the surface of different specimens with GTV K2 HVOF spraying
device. In doing so, we have established a comparison with the hard chrome plating in terms
of microstructure, hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance [21,22].

2. Experimental
2.1. Experimental Materials and Preparation
In the experiment, the Ni60, WC10Co4Cr, and 316L, the three HVOF coatings, are
made on the surface of different specimens with a GTV K2 HVOF spraying device (GTV,
Luckenbach, Germany). The specimen is 45# carbon steel with a scale of 100 × 100 ×
10 mm, and the parameters of powder can be seen in Table 1.

Table 1. Powder parameters.

Element Powder
Powder Name
Fe Cr Co W Ni Specification

Ni60 18.96 15.19 – – 58.86 −53 + 25 µm

WC10Co4Cr – 3.81 9.88 82.25 – −45 + 15 µm
316L 64.99 20.53 – – 10.06 −53 + 25 µm

Before spraying with HVOF on the surface of the specimens, cleaning and sand-
blast pretreatment should be performed. The regular fused alumina and professional
sandblasting equipment (Shanghai Kunhang Machinery, ShangHai, China) are used for
sandblasting coarsening on the surface of the specimens. The roughness of the surface
after the sandblasting should not be lower than Rz10 µm. The purpose of cleaning before
spraying is to remove the residual oil stain from the metal surface for corrosion prevention.
Moreover, sandblasting could make the surface rough to improve the bonding ability of
coating on the basal body surface. Then, the coatings are prepared with the GTV K2 HVOF
spraying device. The HVOF spraying device heats the input spray powder material with
aviation kerosene and oxygen mixed after combustion [23]. The powders are accelerated to
a supersonic state through nitrogen, and through an extended jet nozzle are sprayed into
the matrix basic body after the spraying material is heated to the molten or semi-molten
state. Table 2 shows the main parameters of the HVOF spraying process [24], and Figure 1
is a schematic diagram of HVOF spraying [25].
Coatings 2021,
Coatings 2021, 11, x1457
FOR PEER REVIEW 3 3ofof 12
12

Table
Table 2.
2. HVOF
HVOF Spraying
Spraying process
process parameters.
parameters.
Parameter
Parameter Value
Value
Kerosene flow rate/(L·h−−11 ) 32
Kerosene flow rate/(L·h ) 32
Oxygen
Oxygen flow rate/(L·min
flow rate/(L ·min−1 ))
−1 800
800
Spray
Spraydistance/mm
distance/mm 350
350
Nozzle length/mm
Nozzle length/mm 150
150
Feeding speed/(g ·min−−11))
Feeding speed/(g·min 70
70
Spray gun moving speed/(mm·s−1 ) 500
Spray gun moving speed/(mm·s−1) 500
Scan the steps/mm 5
Scan the steps/mm 5

Figure 1.
Figure Schematicdiagram
1. Schematic diagramof
ofHVOF
HVOF spraying.
spraying.

After the
After the spraying
spraying process,
process,aasealing
sealingtreatment
treatmentfor forthe coating
the coating of of
thethe
specimen
specimen surface,
sur-
with WFT#1532 organic resin, is applied to enhance the sealing effect
face, with WFT#1532 organic resin, is applied to enhance the sealing effect and improve and improve the
wear and corrosion resistance of the specimen surface [26]. Finally, grinding
the wear and corrosion resistance of the specimen surface [26]. Finally, grinding and pol- and polishing
on theon
ishing specimens is carried
the specimens out after
is carried outthe sealing
after treatment;
the sealing the surface
treatment; roughness
the surface of the
roughness
polished hydraulic support column should be Ra
of the polished hydraulic support column should be Ra ≤ 0.2 μm.≤ 0.2 µm.
Before the
Before the hard
hard chrome
chrome plating,
plating, the
the surface
surface ofof the
the specimen
specimen should
should bebe cleaned
cleaned with
with
trichloroethylene to remove oil, and then 15%–20% dilute sulfuric acid
trichloroethylene to remove oil, and then 15%–20% dilute sulfuric acid solution is used tosolution is used to
remove the rustiness on the surface. The composition and process conditions
remove the rustiness on the surface. The composition and process conditions of plating of plating bath
are asare
bath follow: the concentration
as follow: degree
the concentration of CrO
degree is 240–260
of3 CrO g/L; the concentration degree of
3 is 240–260 g/L; the concentration de-
H2 SO4 is 2.4–3.0 g/L; the concentration degree of Cr3+ is 2.2–2.8 g/L; the concentration
gree of H2SO4 is 2.4–3.0 g/L; the concentration degree of◦Cr3+ is 2.2–2.8 g/L; the concentra-
degree of LHCRH31 is 20 mL/L; temperature is 50–55 C; the cathode current density is
tion degree of2LHCRH31 is 20 mL/L; temperature is 50–55 °C; the cathode current density
25–35 A/dm ; the S cathode area: S cathode area is 1:2.5–3. In addition, the workpiece
is 25–35 A/dm2; the S cathode area: S cathode area is 1:2.5–3. In addition, the workpiece
should be fully heated in the bath in advance. During the plating process, the temperature
should be fully heated in the bath in advance. During the plating process, the temperature
change should be controlled within the scope of ±2 ◦ C, and the chrome-plated parts should
change should be controlled within the scope of ±2 °C, and the chrome-plated parts should
not be less than 50 mm away from the liquid level when entering the bath.
not be less than 50 mm away from the liquid level when entering the bath.
2.2. Characterization Methods
2.2. Characterization Methods
The wear resistance and corrosion resistance are the key indexes for the service life of
The wearsupport
the hydraulic resistance and corrosion
column, resistanceand
so microhardness are wear
the key indexesshould
resistance for thebeservice
tested,life
as
of the hydraulic support column, so microhardness and wear resistance
well as the salt spray test on the coatings (plating) [27]. The JSM-6510LV scanning electron should be tested,
as well as the(JEOL,
microscope salt spray testJapan)
Tokyo, on theequipped
coatings (plating) [27]. The
with an energy JSM-6510LV
dispersive X-rayscanning elec-
spectrometer
tron microscope (JEOL, Tokyo, Japan) equipped with an energy dispersive
(EDS) detector is adopted to observe the micromorphology of the coatings (plating), and the X-ray spec-
trometer (EDS) detector
TMVS-1 Vickers hardness is tester
adopted to observe
is selected the micromorphology
to have a test of cross-section of the coatings (plat-
microhardness on
ing), and the(plating).
the coatings TMVS-1 According
Vickers hardness tester isISO6507.1-1997
to the standard selected to have a the
[28], testloading
of cross-section
load and
microhardness
loading time areonsettheto coatings
be 100 g and(plating). According to
15 s, respectively, thethe
and standard
hardness ISO6507.1-1997 [28],
values of 10 points
the loading load and loading time are set to be 100 g and 15 s, respectively,
in different areas of the specimen are measured to gain the average value. According to the and the hard-
ness values
evidence ofof 10 points
neutral salt in different
spray of theareas of the
coating, specimen are
ISO9227-2006 measured
[29], the plate tospecimen
gain the aver-
with
age
the value.
scale ofAccording
100 × 75 × to 10
themmevidence of neutral
is cleaned salt spray
with absolute of theand
ethanol coating,
then putISO9227-2006
into a salt
[29],
spraythe plate
test specimen withCleveland,
chamber.(Q-Lab, the scale of 100USA)
OH, × 75 ×The
10 mm is cleaned
testing is 35 ◦ C, ethanol
with absolute
temperature and the
Coatings 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 4 of 12
Coatings 2021, 11, 1457 4 of 12

and then put into a salt spray test chamber.(Q-Lab, Cleveland, OH, USA) The testing tem-
perature
solution is pH 35 °C,
7.0.and
Thethe solution
testing is pH
result 7.0. The
is based ontesting result is based
the observation on the observation
of corrosion in the non-
of corrosion
edge area of inthethe non-edge
sample with area of the of
the record sample with
the test the record
duration of the
in case test duration
of corrosion. in case
According
to the
of standard
corrosion. ASTMG65-2004(2010)
According to the standard [30], the wear test of abrasive
ASTMG65-2004(2010) [30],particles
the wear ontest
the of
coating
abra-
is undertaken
sive particles on in the self-made
coating is NM-200
undertaken rubber wheel
in the testing NM-200
self-made machine.rubber
The diameter of the
wheel testing
rubber wheel
machine. is 228 mm,
The diameter of the
the rotating
rubber wheelspeedisis228
200mm,
rpm,the therotating
load is speed
1.74 kg, the abrasive
is 200 rpm, the
is −60
load is +1.74
80 mesh
kg, thequartz sand,
abrasive is and
−60 +the
80sand
meshflow ratesand,
quartz is 190andg/min. The three
the sand groups
flow rate of
is 190
specimens
g/min. The are weighted
three groups of after the pregrinding
specimens with after
are weighted 50 rotations and marked
the pregrinding withas50the initial
rotations
weights;
and marked theyasare
theweighed again after
initial weights; theytheare
grinding
weighed with 100 after
again rotations and 200 rotations,
the grinding with 100
and the weight
rotations and 200loss of specimens
rotations, and theis weight
calculated. A white
loss of specimenslightisconfocal microscope
calculated. A white (CM,
light
Sciences et Techniques Industrielles de la Lumière, Aix en Provence,
confocal microscope (CM, Sciences et Techniques Industrielles de la Lumière, Aix en Pro- France) was used to
study the worn morphology and roughness of the specimens.
vence, France) was used to study the worn morphology and roughness of the specimens.Figure 2 is the self-made
wear
Figuretester of abrasive
2 is the self-made particles.
wear tester of abrasive particles.

Self-made wear
Figure 2. self-made wear tester
tester of
of abrasive
abrasive particles.

3. Results and Discussion

3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Microstructure and Hardness
3.1. Microstructure and Hardness
The quality of HVOF coating is decided by the state of particle deposition, which
would The
bequality
affectedofbyHVOF coating size
the diameter is decided by the state
of the particle of particle
and the flame flow deposition, which
characteristics
would be affected by the diameter size of the particle and the flame
during the flying [31]. During the HVOF spraying process, the processing parameters flow characteristics
during
directlythe flying [31].
or indirectly During
affect the HVOF
the coating spraying
features, and process,
the processtheisprocessing
divided into parameters di-
variable and
rectly or indirectly affect the coating features, and the process is divided
particle states. The process variable includes the powder particle size, flame temperature,into variable and
particle
and flamestates.
flow The process
velocity. Thevariable
particle includes the powder
state is a direct factor particle
that affectssize, flame
the temperature,
feature of coating.
and flame flow velocity. The particle state is a direct factor that affects
The higher speed of the particle is, the higher the kinetic energy to hit the basal bodythe feature of coat-
and
ing. The higher speed of the particle is, the higher the kinetic energy to
the higher the binding strength of the coating; thus, the binding strength with the basalhit the basal body
and
bodythe higher
would be the binding
higher. strengththe
Therefore, of process
the coating; thus,ofthe
variable binding
HVOF strength
spraying with the
imposes an
basal body would be higher. Therefore, the process variable of HVOF spraying
indirect impact on the coating features by affecting the particle state, while the particle imposes
state
an indirect
would impact
directly on the
affect the coating
coating features
features.byFigure
affecting
3 isthe
theparticle
schematic state, while the
diagram particle
of particle
state would directly affect the coating features. Figure 3 is the schematic diagram of par-
deposition.
ticle deposition.
The sections of hard chrome plating and HVOF coating after the polishing are placed
under the metallurgical microscope, and the micromorphology is shown in Figure 4. There
is a penetrating crack in the plating, and the plating thickness is in the range of 26–28 µm.
The microhardness is 778.6 ± 25.4 Hv300 . The HVOF coating is layered by multiple coats
of spraying, and the coating thickness is in the range of 420–450 µm. The measurement
evidence is ISO 2064-1996 [32]. The microstructure and EDS of hard chrome plating and
HVOF coatings are shown in Figure 5. The structure of the HVOF coating is uniformly
compact without obvious cracks or pores. We can infer that Ni60 coating and 316L coating
oxides are involved in Fe, Cr, Ni, and Si composite oxides. However, the WC10Co4Cr
coating oxide contains Fe, Cr, and Co composite oxides. A number of unmelted particles are
found in Ni60 coating and 316L coating, resulting from an insufficient flame temperature or
Coatings 2021, 11, 1457 5 of 12

Figure 3. Schematic
insufficient diagram
flame flow rate.ofThe
particle deposition.
bonding interface between the coating and basal body is a
wavy, uneven interface. The interface binding is closely combined and embedded through
The sections
the mechanical of hard chrome
occlusion. The HVOF plating and HVOF
spraying coating
process could after the spray
add the polishing are placed
powder to the
under the metallurgical microscope, and the micromorphology is shown
supersonic speed to reach the basal body with high kinetic energy and enthalpy. With in Figuresuch4.
There
Coatings 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW is a penetrating crack in the plating, and the plating thickness is in the
a strong impact, the HVOF would have a tight binding with the basal body, resulting in range5 of
of 26–
12
28 μm. The
improved microhardness
low porosity, highishardness,
778.6 ± 25.4 Hv
and 300. The HVOF coating is layered by multiple
high binding strength in the micro aspect.
coats of spraying, and the coating thickness is in the range of 420–450 μm. The measure-
ment evidence is ISO 2064-1996 [32]. The microstructure and EDS of hard chrome plating
and HVOF coatings are shown in Figure 5. The structure of the HVOF coating is uniformly
compact without obvious cracks or pores. We can infer that Ni60 coating and 316L coating
oxides are involved in Fe, Cr, Ni, and Si composite oxides. However, the WC10Co4Cr
coating oxide contains Fe, Cr, and Co composite oxides. A number of unmelted particles
are found in Ni60 coating and 316L coating, resulting from an insufficient flame temper-
ature or insufficient flame flow rate. The bonding interface between the coating and basal
body is a wavy, uneven interface. The interface binding is closely combined and embed-
ded through the mechanical occlusion. The HVOF spraying process could add the spray
powder to the supersonic speed to reach the basal body with high kinetic energy and en-
thalpy. With such a strong impact, the HVOF would have a tight binding with the basal
body, resulting in improved low porosity, high hardness, and high binding strength in
the micro aspect.
Schematicdiagram
Figure3.3.Schematic
Figure diagramofofparticle
particledeposition.
deposition.

The sections of hard chrome plating and HVOF coating after the polishing are placed
under the metallurgical microscope, and the micromorphology is shown in Figure 4.
There is a penetrating crack in the plating, and the plating thickness is in the range of 26–
28 μm. The microhardness is 778.6 ± 25.4 Hv300. The HVOF coating is layered by multiple
coats of spraying, and the coating thickness is in the range of 420–450 μm. The measure-
ment evidence is ISO 2064-1996 [32]. The microstructure and EDS of hard chrome plating
and HVOF coatings are shown in Figure 5. The structure of the HVOF coating is uniformly
compact without obvious cracks or pores. We can infer that Ni60 coating and 316L coating
oxides are involved in Fe, Cr, Ni, and Si composite oxides. However, the WC10Co4Cr
coating oxide contains Fe, Cr, and Co composite oxides. A number of unmelted particles
are found in Ni60 coating and 316L coating, resulting from an insufficient flame temper-
ature or insufficient flame flow rate. The bonding interface between the coating and basal
body is a wavy, uneven interface. The interface binding is closely combined and embed-
ded through the mechanical occlusion. The HVOF spraying process could add the spray
powder to the supersonic speed to reach the basal body with high kinetic energy and en-
thalpy. With such a strong impact, the HVOF would have a tight binding with the basal
Figure 4.
Figure 4. Metallographic
Metallographic of hard
hard chrome
chrome plating
plating and
and HVOF
HVOF coatings.
coatings. (a) hard chrome plating cross-
body, resulting
section (b) Ni60 in improved
Ni60 coating
coating low porosity,
cross-section high hardness,
(c) WC10Co4Cr
WC10Co4Cr and(d)
coating section
section high binding
316L strength in
coating cross-section.
cross-section.
section (b) cross-section (c) coating (d) 316L coating
the micro aspect.
The measurement result of the microhardness of the coatings is shown in Figure 6.
The microhardness of HVOF coatings ranked from high to low is WC10Co4Cr coating,
Ni60 coating, and 316L coating; the values are 1163.6 ± 12.4 Hv300 , 817.5 ± 18.3 Hv300 ,
and 476.4 ± 29.7 Hv300 , respectively. During the HVOF spraying process, the temperature
of the basal body is lower than 150 ◦ C, so as to not affect the mechanical properties and
shape of the basal body. The difference in hardness of the coatings is mainly related to the
material components. The WC10Co4Cr coating is a metal-ceramic coating. The WC phase
and metal CoCr are in well binding, and they are distributed evenly. The dispersed WC
hardness ensures the high hardness of the coating. The hardness of Ni60 coating is a little
higher than that of hard chrome plating because the silicon-nickel-chromium solid solution
in the Ni60 coating works as a solution strengthening with the dispersion strengthening
effect of dispersed fine point carbides and borides. In addition, the hardness of Ni60
coating prepared by the HVOF spraying process is higher than that of the Ni60 coating
with plasma spray welding (700 Hv300 approximately). The main reason is that the biding
mechanism of HVOF spraying is the mechanical one, so the coating and basal material

Figure 4. Metallographic of hard chrome plating and HVOF coatings. (a) hard chrome plating cross-
section (b) Ni60 coating cross-section (c) WC10Co4Cr coating section (d) 316L coating cross-section.
Coatings 2021, 11, 1457 6 of 12

maintain independence. The plasma spray welding achieves the metallurgical bonding
between coating and substrate by local heating to form a molten pool, and the partially
molten composition of basal material penetrates the welding materials (a process called
the “dilution”). The basal material is relatively soft, so the welding hardness is reduced
accordingly. Therefore, maintaining the original components and hardness of the material
is also a feature of HVOF spraying. The microstructure of 316L is mainly the Austenite
structure with lower hardness, so the hardness is lower.

Figure 5.
Figure 5. Microstructure
Microstructure and
andEDS
EDSofofhard
hardchrome
chromeplating
platingand HVOF
and HVOFcoatings. (a) (a)
coatings. hard chrome
hard chrome
plating, (b) Ni60 coating, (c) WC10Co4Cr coating, (d) 316L coating.
plating, (b) Ni60 coating, (c) WC10Co4Cr coating, (d) 316L coating.
 molten composition of basal material penetrates the welding materials (a process called
the “dilution”).
molten The basal
composition material
of basal is relatively
material penetratessoft,
thesowelding
the welding hardness
materials is reduced
(a process called
accordingly. Therefore,
the “dilution”). maintaining
The basal material the original components
is relatively and hardness
soft, so the welding of theismaterial
hardness reduced
isaccordingly.
also a feature of HVOF
Therefore, spraying. The
maintaining microstructure
the original of 316L
components andishardness
mainly the Austenite
of the material
Coatings 2021, 11, 1457 7 of 12
structure with lower hardness, so the hardness is lower.
is also a feature of HVOF spraying. The microstructure of 316L is mainly the Austenite
structure with lower hardness, so the hardness is lower.

Figure 6. Microhardness of hard chrome plating and HVOF coatings.

Figure6.6.Microhardness
Figure Microhardnessof
ofhard
hardchrome
chromeplating
platingand
andHVOF
HVOFcoatings.
coatings.
3.2. Neutral Salt Spray Test
3.2. Neutral Salt Spray Test
3.2. Figures
Neutral 7Saltand Spray
8 areTest
the results of the neutral salt spray test and corrosion morphology
Figures 7 and 8 are the results of the neutral salt spray test and corrosion morphology
of the Figures
salt spray test
7 and of the
8 are hard
the chrome
results plating
of the and HVOF
neutral coating.
andIn the neutral salt test,
of the salt spray test of the hard chrome platingsalt
andspray
HVOF testcoating.
corrosion
In the morphology
neutral salt
the hard
of the chrome plating would have rustiness in 144 h, resulting from the penetrating
test, thesalt
hardspray test of
chrome the hard
plating chrome
would haveplating and
rustiness inHVOF coating. In
144 h, resulting the the
from neutral salt test,
penetrating
microcrack
the hard on the plating.
chrome plating The corrosive
would have mediuminwould
rustiness 144 h,beresulting
penetrated
from from
the the surface
penetrating
microcrack on the plating. The corrosive medium would be penetrated from the surface to
tomicrocrack
corrode the onbasal
thebody body through
plating. the microcrack,
The corrosive medium so it would acceleratefrom
the correlation
corrode the basal through the microcrack, so would
it would beaccelerate
penetrated the surface
the correlation of
oftothe basal
corrode body
the to
basal cause
body the rust
through spots
the or even peeling
microcrack, so appear
it would on the coating
accelerate
the basal body to cause the rust spots or even peeling appear on the coating surface. the surface. In
correlationIn
addition,
addition, there
of the basalthere is
bodyis serious
to cause
serious hydrogenation
the rust spots in
hydrogenation in hard
or even chrome
hard chrome plating,
peeling appear
plating,on which results
the coating
which in
in higher
results surface.
higher In
porosity
porosity and
addition,and worse
there corrosion
is serious
worse resistance
hydrogenation
corrosion on
resistance on the
in hardplating because
chromebecause
the plating the
plating,the plating
which layer
results
plating layerinis in
in aa
higher
is
tensile
tensile state
porosity and
state due
due to
to tensile
worse stress.
corrosion
tensile stress.resistance on the plating because the plating layer is in a
tensile state due to tensile stress.

Figure 7.
Figure Neutralsalt
7. Neutral saltspray
spraytest
testof
ofhard
hard chrome
chrome plating
plating and
and HVOF
HVOF coatings.
coatings.
Figure 7. Neutral salt spray test of hard chrome plating and HVOF coatings.
Coatings 2021, 11, 1457 8 of 12
Coatings 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 12

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Figure
Figure8.8.Corrosion
Corrosionmorphology
morphology of of
HVOF
HVOF coatings andand
coatings hard chrome
hard chromeplating by salt
plating spray
by salt test.test.
spray (a)
hard chrome plating, (b) Ni60 coating, (c) WC10Co4Cr coating, (d) 316L coating.
(a) hard chrome plating, (b) Ni60 coating, (c) WC10Co4Cr coating, (d) 316L coating.

The
TheWC10Co4Cr
WC10Co4Crcoating coatinghas hasaasevere
severerustiness
rustinessof of120
120h, h, while
while thethe Ni60
Ni60 coating
coating and and
316L
316Lcoating
coatinghave havebetter
bettercorrosion
corrosion resistance,
resistance, andandthey have
they rustiness
have in 720
rustiness in h720
in the
h inneu-the
tral salt spray
neutral test. test.
salt spray The corrosion
The corrosion resistance of Ni60
resistance coating
of Ni60 and 316L
coating coating
and 316L is nearly
coating five
is nearly
times that ofthat
five times hard ofchrome
hard chromeplating. The neutral
plating. salt spray
The neutral test
salt reflects
spray testthe impact
reflects theofimpact
porosity of
on the performance
porosity of coatingoftocoating
on the performance some extent.
to some For the porosity
extent. For the test of coating,
porosity test of the method
coating, the
introduced
method introduced by the by standard
the standardof theof International
the International Association
Association forforTesting
TestingMaterials,
Materials,
ASTME2109.1-2014 [33],
ASTME2109.1-2014 [33], isiscommon.
common.The Themetallographic
metallographic micrograph
micrograph of coating
of coating is captured,
is cap-
and the
tured, color
and thedeviation between
color deviation the completed
between part of the
the completed part coating
of theand the pore
coating and is theobserved,
pore is
and the porosity
observed, could becould
and the porosity calculated from thefrom
be calculated proportion of the area
the proportion of theofarea
the pore
of thein the
pore
inimage area. area.
the image The poreThe is a defect
pore structure
is a defect of theofcoating,
structure and the
the coating, andexistence
the existence of pore is to
of pore
isprovide
to providea better channel
a better for the
channel fordiffusion of Cl−ofinCl
the diffusion a−corrosive medium
in a corrosive so thatsothe
medium group
that the
cohesiveness would be weakened. The Cl − gathers in the pore attachment through the
group cohesiveness would be weakened. The Cl gathers in the pore attachment through
−

channel
the channel to cause the local
to cause pitting
the local corrosion.
pitting In addition,
corrosion. the existence
In addition, of pore
the existence of would
pore wouldcreate
an uneven
create microstructure
an uneven so as toso
microstructure easily
as tomake
easilycorrosion potentialpotential
make corrosion difference in all points
difference of
in all
coating,
points of which
coating, is which
apt to is
form apt the micro
to form thecorrosion battery and
micro corrosion accelerate
battery the corrosion
and accelerate the cor- of
coating.
rosion of The particle
coating. Thehas a high-speed
particle movement
has a high-speed in the HOVF
movement in thespraying, so there issoathere
HOVF spraying, short
connection with air to rapidly form a compact coating on the
is a short connection with air to rapidly form a compact coating on the surface of the basal surface of the basal body
with with
body the porosity
the porositybelow 1% [34].
below Besides,
1% [34]. therethere
Besides, is noispenetrating
no penetrating poreporeon theon coating
the coating and
no linkage among pores, so the diffusion of Cl − is more challenging. The microstructure is
and no linkage among pores, so the diffusion of Cl− is more challenging. The microstruc-
even,
ture is so it is so
even, difficult to maketocorrosion
it is difficult potentialpotential
make corrosion difference; thus, there
difference; is a there
thus, good is salt spray
a good
resistance
salt and corrosion
spray resistance and resistance. Besides, the
corrosion resistance. ceramicthe
Besides, passivation of Cr2 O3 formed
ceramic passivation of Cr2O by
3
Cr in coating improves the electrochemical corrosion potential
formed by Cr in coating improves the electrochemical corrosion potential and delays the and delays the diffusion
of corrosive
diffusion medium from
of corrosive medium the coating
from thetocoating
the basal to body,
the basalproviding effective long-term
body, providing effective
protection for the basal body.
long-term protection for the basal body.
 There is a comparison of the weight loss for the wear among three coatings. The 361 L
coating has the worst wear resistance, while the wear resistance of Ni60 coating and table
wear stage coating are 12 times and 32 times that of 361 L coating. The hardness creates a
significant impact on the wear resistance of materials, so the abrasive wear resistance of
Coatings 2021, 11, 1457 three coatings is consistent with the measurement of hardness. The WC10Co4Cr coating 9 of 12
with high hardness means a good wear resistance. The wear resistance of WC10Co4Cr
coating is more than four times that of hard chrome plating because the microhardness of
WC10Co4Cr coating prepared by HVOF spraying is higher. The high microhardness hin-
3.3. Wear
ders Test effect of abrasive particles, and it is suitable for the wear resistance of the
the cutting
TheIn
coating. 3DWC10Co4Cr
CM imagescoating,
and cross-sectional
the WC phase profiles of hard
and metal CoCr chrome platingwell
are binding andand
HVOFare
coatings specimens
distributed evenly. are shown
Thus in Figure 9.WC
the dispersed In the 3D high
with CM images
hardnessandcould
cross-sectional profiles,
significantly im-
the surface
prove of the hard chromium
the microhardness plating
of the coating layerthe
so that is flat, andresistance
cutting the surface of the
adds supersonic
to and ensures
coating
the high layer
wear is uneven of
resistance due
thetocoating.
the bombardment of particles.
The more hardness The even
phase and wearcoating
depth in the
distri-
coatings’ cross-sectional profile is ranked from high to low is 316L coating,
bution would have better adhesion wear resistance, and abrasive wear resistance would hard chrome
plating, Ni60 coating, and WC10Co4Cr coating, and the average values are 270, 188, 178,
increase.
and 25 µm, respectively.

(a) (b)

Coatings 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 of 12

(c) (d)

Figure 9. 3D
3D CM
CM images
images and
and cross-sectional
cross-sectional profiles
profiles of
of hard
hard chrome
chrome plating and
and HVOF
HVOF coatings.
coatings. (a)
(a) hard
hard chrome
chrome plating,
plating,
(b) Ni60 coating, (c) WC10Co4Cr coating, (d) 316L coating.

The result of the wear test of abrasive particles of hard chrome plating and HVOF
coatings are shown in Figure 10. The 3D CM images and cross-sectional profiles are
consistent with the change trend of the wear rate. The weight loss of hard chrome plating
after 200 rotations is three times that of 100 rotations, which means the plating is worn
through, and the wear is accelerated. The hard chrome plating has a better corrosion
resistance because the feature of the chromium element improves the corrosion resistance
of the surface of the specimen. The wear of coating is mainly the result of the cutting
effect caused by the wear of abrasive particles. The weight loss of three coatings after
200 rotations is two times that of 100 rotations, which means the coating is in a stable wear
stage. There is a comparison of the weight loss for the wear among three coatings. The 361 L
Coatings 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 of 12

Coatings 2021, 11, 1457 10 of 12

coating has the worst wear resistance, while the wear resistance of Ni60 coating and table
wear stage coating are 12 times and 32 times that of 361 L coating. The hardness creates a
significant impact on the wear resistance of materials, so the abrasive wear resistance of
three coatings is consistent with the measurement of hardness. The WC10Co4Cr coating
with high hardness means a good wear resistance. The wear resistance of WC10Co4Cr
coating is more than four times that of hard chrome plating because the microhardness
of WC10Co4Cr coating prepared by HVOF spraying is higher. The high microhardness
hinders the cutting effect of abrasive particles, and it is suitable for the wear resistance of
the coating. In WC10Co4Cr coating, the WC phase and metal CoCr are binding well and are
distributed evenly. Thus the dispersed WC with high hardness could significantly improve
the microhardness of the coating so that the cutting resistance adds to and ensures the high
wear resistanceprofiles
Figure 9. 3D CM images and cross-sectional of the of
coating. The more
hard chrome platinghardness
and HVOFphase and(a)
coatings. even
hardcoating
chrome distribution
plating,
wouldcoating,
(b) Ni60 coating, (c) WC10Co4Cr have better adhesion
(d) 316L coating. wear resistance, and abrasive wear resistance would increase.

Figure 10. The

The wear
wear rate
rate of hard chrome plating and HVOF coatings.

4. Conclusions
4. Conclusions
The paper
The paper offered
offered aa comparison
comparison study
study on
on the
the hydraulic
hydraulic support
support column
column refabricated
refabricated
with hard chrome plating and HVOF coatings in order to assess the impact of
with hard chrome plating and HVOF coatings in order to assess the impact of different
different
refabricating processes on the coating (plating) organization hardness, wear resistance,
refabricating processes on the coating (plating) organization hardness, wear resistance, and
corrosion resistance. The followings are the conclusions reached in the paper:
and corrosion resistance. The followings are the conclusions reached in the paper:
1.
1. Thereisisaamicrocrack
There microcrackininthe
theplating.
plating. The
The thickness
thickness of the
of the plating
plating is 26–28
is 26–28 μm,µm,andand
the
the microhardness is 778.6 ± 25.4 Hv . The thickness of the HVOF
microhardness is 778.6 ± 25.4 Hv300. The300thickness of the HVOF coating is 420–450 coating is
420–450 µm, and the coating structure is uniformly compact without
μm, and the coating structure is uniformly compact without an obvious crack or pore an obvious
crack
in the or pore in
internal the The
part. internal part. interface
bonding The bonding interface
between between
the coating andthebasal
coating
bodyandis
basal body is closely combined and embedded with each other, and the binding
closely combined and embedded with each other, and the binding method is me-
method is mechanical occlusion. The microhardness of HVOF coatings ranked from
chanical occlusion. The microhardness of HVOF coatings ranked from high to low is
high to low is WC10Co4Cr coating, Ni60 coating, and 316L coating; the values are
WC10Co4Cr coating, Ni60 coating, and 316L coating; the values are 1163.6 ± 12.4
1163.6 ± 12.4 Hv300 , 817.5 ± 18.3 Hv300 , and 476.4 ± 29.7 Hv300 , respectively.
Hv300, 817.5 ± 18.3 Hv300, and 476.4 ± 29.7 Hv300, respectively.
2. In the neutral salt spray test, the hard chrome plating would rust at 144 h, while
2. In the neutral salt spray test, the hard chrome plating would rust at 144 h, while the
the WC10Co4Cr coating would show rustiness at 120 h. The Ni60 coating and 316L
WC10Co4Cr coating would show rustiness at 120 h. The Ni60 coating and 316L coat-
coating have better corrosion resistance since they exhibit rustiness at 720 h during
ing have better corrosion resistance since they exhibit rustiness at 720 h during the
the test. The corrosion resistance of Ni60 coating and 316L coating is nearly five times
test. The corrosion resistance of Ni60 coating and 316L coating is nearly five times
that of hard chrome plating.
that of hard chrome plating.
3. The hard chrome plating has a better wear resistance performance, comparable to
3. The
thathard
of thechrome plating has
Ni60 coating. The awear
better wear resistance
resistance performance,
of the 316L coating is comparable
much weaker, to
that of the Ni60 coating. The wear resistance of the 316L coating is much
while the wear resistance of WC10Co4Cr coating is more than four times that of hard weaker,
chrome plating.
Coatings 2021, 11, 1457 11 of 12

4. Under the harsh corrosive wear environment, the refabricating HVOF Ni60 coating is
a more suitable replacement for the hydraulic support column coating than the hard
chrome plating.

Author Contributions: M.W.: conceptualization, investigation, data curation, and writing—original

draft. L.P.: supervision. L.P., C.W., T.Y., M.G., H.D. and S.Y.: review and editing. All authors have
read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement: Data sharing is not applicable to this article.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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