Abrasive wear behavior of Al–Cu–Fe quasicrystalline composite coatings

Quasicrystals are a relatively new class of materials which exhibit unusual atomic structure and useful physical and chemical properties. The inherent brittleness of quasicrystals has limited their potential use to primarily surface coating applications. This study examined the effect on abrasive wear behavior of Al–Cu–Fe quasicrystalline coatings through the addition (e.g. 0–100 v/o) of a relatively ductile Fe–Al phase. Coatings were deposited by plasma arc spraying techniques. The incorporation of discrete Fe–Al particles into the quasicrystalline coating matrix improves the abrasive wear resistance. Moreover, it is observed that low-level additions of the Fe–Al phase (e.g. 1 v/o) produce the most abrasive wear-resistant coating. The wear behavior of the quasicrystalline and composite coatings is discussed in terms of wear mode and coating hardness.