Erosive Wear Analysis of Plasma-Sprayed Cu Slag–Al Composite Coatings

Abstract

This article depicts the solid particle erosion response of plasma-sprayed composite coatings using an industrial waste product (i.e., copper slag) and aluminum. The influence of five operating parameters—that is, impact velocity, erodent size, erodent temperature, impingement angle, and aluminum content of feedstock with four different levels each—on performance output (i.e., erosion rate) are studied using Taguchi's L16 orthogonal array design. Out of the five parameters, impact velocity has been found to be most influential factor on the erosion wear rate of coated samples. Maximum erosion takes place at an impingement angle of 60°, showing the semiductile response of the coating to solid particle erosion. In addition, a multilinear mathematical equation is proposed in order to predict the wear rate. The percentage of error between experimental data and predicted data was small, with a very high correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.997 showing the correctness of the mathematical equation used.