Effect of the dissolution characteristic of tungsten carbide particles on microstructure and properties of Ni-WC/W2C reinforcement coating manufactured by TIG cladding

In this paper, three types of Ni-WC/W2C coatings were manufactured by the use of TIG cladding. The dissolution characteristics of tungsten carbide particles were systematic investigated. The results showed that different size tungsten carbide particles had different dissolution characteristics. The dissolution characteristics of tungsten carbide particles and the distribution of retained particles affected the microstructure and properties of the coatings. The dissolution mechanism of tungsten carbide particles was fragmentation-dissolution-diffusion-precipitation mechanism while the coatings were mainly composed of retained particles, nickel matrix and different shaped carbides. The wear resistance of particle reinforced coatings was mainly determined by the mean distance between tungsten carbide particles (MDP).