Investigation on microstructure and wear resistance of WC coated aluminum alloy using machine hammer peening

Due to the characteristic of low density and high strength, Aluminum alloy have been applied in various industries. However, poor surface properties, such as wear resistance, are the main reason for limiting its application. In this study, machine hammer peening (MHP) was used for embedding tungsten carbide (WC) particles in near-surface zone of aluminum alloy and the microstructure and wear resistance were investigated. The results show that WC particles can be embedded into aluminum alloy using MHP and WC coatings were generated with large and medium WC particles. The values of surface roughness were increased with increasing of WC particles sizes and XRD analysis indicated that no new compound was found during coating process. The significant increasing of wear resistance of WC coating has been obtained. MHP is a novel technique for obtaining WC coating and improving the tribological performance of aluminum alloy. Furthermore, it offers new possibilities to embedding hard particles in substrates of various materials.