Fabricating Aluminum Bronze Rotating Band for Large-Caliber Projectiles by High Velocity Arc Spraying

The necessity of finding new rotating band materials and developing corresponding joining technologies for large-caliber projectiles has been revealed by the recent increase in the ballistic performance of high loads. In this paper, aluminum bronze coatings were fabricated by the high velocity arc spraying (HVAS) technique. Microstructure and microhardness of the prepared coatings were investigated. Ring-on-disk dry sliding wear tests were conducted in an ambient condition to examine the tribological behavior of the coatings. Quasi-static engraving processes of rotating bands made of as-sprayed aluminum bronze coating and bulk copper were studied using rate-controlled push test methodology on an MTS 810 Material Testing System. The results show that the as-sprayed aluminum bronze coatings have a dense microstructure with porosity of about 1.6%. Meanwhile, the as-sprayed coating presents a higher microhardness than pure copper. The friction coefficient of coatings is about 0.2-0.3 in the steady state. Tribological mechanisms of the as-sprayed coatings were discussed. The engraving test results show that the aluminum bronze rotating band presents high bonding strength and good plasticity. The HVAS aluminum bronze coating should be a possible substitute for the state-of-the-art copper rotating band.