Influence of Interfacial Diffusion on Mechanical Property of Vacuum Fusion Sinter (VFS) WC-Co Composite Coating Original Research Article

The WC-Co composite coatings bonded tightly to steel substrate have been made by vacuum fusion sinter (VFS). The concentration distribution of some components were measured by the electron probe, and the micro-structure and morphology of VFS coatings were observed and analyzed by SEM, X-ray diffractometer and microhardness tester. Diffusion coefficient of every element was calculated by using the experimental results. The influence of the interfacial diffusion on the microstructure, Vickers hardness and interfacial bond strength of the VFS coatings was studied in detail. The experimental results show that there is a metallurgical bond area between the VFS WC-Co coatings and the steel substrate. The VFS coatings are characterized by the gradient hardness of the interface and the high bond strength to the steel substate, both of which are beneficial to the improvement of the wear resistance and corrosion resistance.