Synchronously Optimizing the Processability and Performance of Ni-Cr-Si-B Coatings by Alloy Design

Abstract

Nickel-based self-fusing alloy (Ni-Cr-Si-B) coatings are vital for their exceptional wear and corrosion resistance in industries like coal, metallurgy and mining. However, challenges like high remelting temperatures and limited wear resistance hinder their widespread application. In this study, a data-driven approach: correlation analysis combined with thermodynamic high-throughput calculations and Pareto-boundary optimization searches were used to design T1 coatings (the novel designed alloy) with easy processing, suitability for the remelting process, superior high-temperature stability, high wear resistance and better corrosion resistance. Microstructure and performance comparisons were made with the C1 alloy coating (commercial reference alloy) prepared by the same process. The results show that compared with C1, the newly designed T1 coating had lower porosity and surface roughness; in the wear test at 400 °C, the wear rate was reduced by about 11.5%; in the electrochemical corrosion experiment with 0.1 mol/L Na₂SO₄ solution, the corrosion rate of T1 was decreased by about 38.8%. Based on the design logic of composition-process-microstructure-property, a novel nickel-based self-fusing alloy coating was successfully designed to be suitable for the existing process, easy to process and with better comprehensive performance, which also provides new clues for the efficient design of coatings and alloys.