The Friction and Wear Properties of VC Coating Prepared by a TD Process

By using borax salt and vanadium as the main materials, the VC (Vanadium Carbide) coating was prepared on the surface of Cr12MoV steel with a TD (thermal diffusion) process. The micro-structures and chemical element compositions of the coating were observed with SEM and EDS, respectively. The reciprocating friction and wear of Cr12MoV steel disk against a steel ball under unlubricated condition at room temperature were evaluated and wear mechanism were analyzed. The results showed that VC coating was composed of flocculent aggregate VC grains and had a uniform structure. The metallurgical bonding was found at the coating/substrate interface. VC coating showed excellent resistance to wear under the unlubricated condition. The wear mechanism of VC coating was a combination of fatigue wear and abrasive wear.