The Use of Cluster Analysis to Assess the Wear Resistance of Cermet Coatings Sprayed by High Velocity Oxy-Fuel on Magnesium Alloy Substrate

Cermet coatings are one of the best surface protection of machine elements against wear. On the other hand, the most universal and economically justified method of applying such coatings is high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying. This method makes it possible to produce coatings characterized by compact structure, low porosity and very good adhesion to the substrate. All these fundamental properties contribute to the high wear resistance of these coatings. However, carrying out full wear tests (e.g. ball-on-disc) is time-consuming, especially when it is necessary to select the proper feedstock material and carefully selected process parameters. The aim of the fol-lowing researches was to statistically investigate the possibility of replacing long-term wear resistance tests with estimation of this performance on the basis of determining the fundamental mechanical properties of the coatings. Three types of coating materials were selected: WC-12Co, WC-10Co-4Cr and WC-20Cr₃C₂-7Ni, which were deposited on AZ31 magnesium alloy substrates from three different spray distances: 320, 360 and 400 mm. On the basis of the tests carried out and using cluster analysis techniques (the Ward and k-means methods), the relative similarity between the obtained coatings was determined. The applied methodology allowed to select from the ana-lyzed cermet coatings such samples that were characterized by improved resistance to abrasive wear. The obtained results of the analyzes were also referred to the results of tests of resistance to abrasive wear.