Influence of thermal treatments in the corrosion behaviour of HVOF Cr 3C2-NiCr coatings

Thermal spray coatings as Cr3C2-NiCr obtained by high velocity oxy-fuel spraying (HVOF) are mainly applied due to their behaviour against aggressive erosive-abrasive and corrosive atmospheres and their thermal stability at high temperatures [1]. In order to increase the corrosion protection that it offers to the substrate trying to close the interconnected pores, it is possible to apply a thermal treatment with the gun during the spraying of the coating. This treatment could be applied in different ways. One of these ways consists of spraying only a few layers of coating followed by thermal treatment and finally the spray of the rest of layers. This thermal treatment on spraying is studied related to the corrosion properties of the system. The study comprises the electrochemical characterisation of the system by open circuit potential (OC), polarisation resistance (Rp), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and impedance spectroscopy measurements (EIS). Optical and scanning electron microscopy characterisation (OM and SEM) of the top and cross-section of the system has been used in order to justify the electrochemical results.