Materials Science and Technological Aspects of Electrospark Deposition of Nanostructured WC‐Co Coatings onto Titanium Substrates

Abstract

Abstract The composition and structure of coatings deposited with nano‐ and microstructured electrodes WC‐8% Co onto Ti substrates were characterized by XRD, XPS, EPMA, SEM, and SIM. Physical and chemical processes taking place at the contact surface of electrode and substrate during electrospark deposition are considered. Under optimized conditions ( E = 0.13 J), deposition with a nanostructured electrodes provides fine‐grained coatings exhibiting higher hardness, improved wear resistance, and a lower friction coefficient (compared to VK8‐based coatings). magnified image