Plasma-sprayed composite coatings with reduced friction coefficient

The study analyses the tribological properties of a composite plasma sprayed with Al2O3–3TiO2 mixed in various proportions with CaF2, which is known as a solid lubricant. The coatings were plasma-sprayed in air and were tested using a pin-on-disc tribological set-up. The tests enabled to study their wear resistance and determine the coefficient of friction on the basis of friction force obtained in the course of continuous measurement at a set load. Experiments were optimized by the use of the two-level experiment design aimed at finding the optimal content of CaF2 in the composite. The influence of the spraying parameters on the coefficient of friction, hardness and surface roughness was determined by means of regression analysis. Metallographical studies of the plasma-sprayed composite were conducted with the use of a scanning microscope with an energy dispersion spectrometer (EDS).