Mechanical and tribological properties of Al–Si–Mo plasma-sprayed coatings

One of the most important uses of plasma spray coatings is for wear resistance. In this work, the coating characteristics of plasma spray Mo, Al–Si and Al–Si–Mo coatings and their effect on the mechanical and tribological properties of the material have been investigated. The coating microstructures were characterised by SEM and optical microscopy and the porosity percentage was determined by image analysis technique. The mechanical properties of the coatings have been determined by means of an ultra-microindenter and the wear tests have been carried out with a pin on disc tribometer under several load conditions. The mechanical properties of Al–Si–Mo coatings increases with the Mo percentage and Al–Si with 30% Mo shows the optimum tribological characteristics.