Yang Alternatives to hard chromium plating on piston rods Degree Project of 30 credit points
As a main part of hydraulic cylinder, the piston rod is used in tough surrounding and corrosive condition; consequently a high quality protecting layer is essential. Currently EHC, electroplating hard chromium (hard chrome) is a widespread method for piston rod due to powerful performance and low cost. Unfortunately the plating process contains hexavalent chromium (Cr) which is toxic and carcinogenic; perhaps it will be prohibited in the nearing future. Therefore it is crucial to seeking alternatives to hard chrome for piston rod manufacturer. Through extensive searching for alternatives to hard chrome, the competitors like HVOF, electroplating tungsten plating and stainless steel linear were studied in the present work. Since microhardness and corrosion resistance are top priorities, after comparison perhaps Cr3C2-NiCr20% HVOF is the most promising technique. Distinct pretreatments Cr3C2-NiCr coatings were compared with hard chrome in pendulum impact test, hardness test and acetic acid salt spray (AASS) test. The results indicate that hard chrome show higher toughness more than 40% compare with HVOF, the microhardness of HVOF is higher than hard chrome, mean value 1784 Vs. 1244 HV and both coatings have excellent bonding strength. After 40 hours in AASS test, the hard chrome was rated No. 10, however the HVOF just No. 6.
Tribological Requirements of Thermally Sprayed Coatings for Wear Resistant Applications
During the last decades, improved understanding of tribological behavior of different material combinations led also to an intensified development of thermal spray applications. In the field of e.g. hard chromium replacement by thermal spraying, significant amount of work has been done and published world wide, however, the authors manly focussed on only one tribological aspect like friction, abrasion, erosion, cavitation or corrosion, respectively. In real applications, often more than one of those factors influence the successful use of these coatings. Besides the bulk properties of the materials, the coating micro structure, which is strongly spray system dependent, needs to be considered and investigated. Higher functionality and reliability than conventional competitive coatings still has to be proved at laboratory scale and under field conditions for thermally sprayed coatings. This paper describes the state of the art of thermally sprayed coatings as alternatives for other coatings. Published literature data and a wide range of own tribological investigations and field tests, reveals the potential for other applications.
Arc spray corrosion applications
Early in the development of electric arc thermal spray equipment, twin wire coatings were typically coarse and porous. Arc systems were used for dimensional buildup and anti-skid coatings. Today, arc spray technology has progressed to where arc spray systems are used in numerous types of applications. This presentation discusses corrosion applications and the industries that have driven arc technology development to improve coating quality and improve production rates--up to 4 times the original rates. This paper documents recent infrastructure applications, power plant cooling towers, and oil and gas industry applications as well as several other industry applications where the equipment is used. Physical properties, costs and testing in process will be discussed. The closing includes trends, needs for equipment and material and suggestions for future actions.