Investigation on electrical discharge coating of brass and copper powder

In this study, electrical discharge coating (EDC) has been performed using green compact electrode of brass and copper powder to fabricate thick coating onto the mild steel substrate. The influence of EDC process parameters on surface morphology, electrode wear, and tribological behavior of coating has been investigated. Experimental result shows fewer pores and micro-cracks on the coated sample with powder mixture ratio of brass:Cu/60:40, peak current of 7A and 70% duty cycle. It is found that the thickness of the coating layer increases with the peak current and the range of the obtained coating layer thickness is 136.19–216.68 µm. The X-ray diffraction profile of coating confirms the presence of elements Cu, CuZn and Fe in the deposited layer. Further, a significant reduction in corrosion resistance and friction coefficient has been observed in the coated sample compared to mild steel substrate.