Investigation of WC-Co Electrospark Coatings with Various Carbon Contents

Electrospark deposition was employed to clad WC-10%Co, W/C1.6-10%Co, and W/C0.5-10%Co hard alloys on steel 1035, and the tribological properties of the coatings obtained were examined. The influence of the W/C ratio in the electrode materials on the decarburization of tungsten carbide was studied. It is shown that the degree of tungsten carbide degradation can be reduced by increasing the concentration of carbon in the WC-Co electrode materials, and also that the WC decarburization reaction is reversible on annealing. Coatings deposited using new electrode materials with an excess of carbon (W/C0.5) and/or tungsten (W/C1.6) have increased microhardness and improved frictional characteristics compared with the conventional coating.