One of the methods of local improvement of the wear resistance of aluminum alloy parts is the deposition of hard tungsten carbide-based coatings on the surfaces subjected to intense external influence. This paper is devoted to the characterization of the WC-10Co-4Cr (wt.%) coating deposited on an Al-4Cu-1Mg (wt.%) alloy by the detonation spray method. In comparison with the common thermal spray techniques like High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) or Atmospheric Plasma Spraying (APS), the heat input delivered to the substrate during detonation spray is significantly lower, that is especially important in case of coating deposition on aluminum alloys. The paper presents the results of morphology investigation, microstructure, phase composition, microhardness, and cohesive strength of deposited carbide-based detonation spray coating. Results showed that the coating has a porosity less than 0.5% and the carbide grain refinement down to the submicron size during coating deposition was detected. According to the investigation, the variation of spraying distance from 270 to 230 mm does not influence on the coating microstructure and composition.
Keywords: WC–Co–Cr carbide coating; cohesive strength; detonation spray; hardness; microstructure.