Assessment HVOF sprayed coatings for reducing wear on pump components

Long-term pump efficiency and durability are directly related to the wear and corrosion resistance of materials used to manufacture pump components. Conventional OEM design materials often do not provide long-term resistance to wear caused by abrasive grains, particle erosion, corrosion, and cavitation. As a result, pump components can fail prematurely causing pump downtime and interrupting service life. Thermal-sprayed coatings, in particular, those deposited by HVOF, can help prevent this loss by reducing premature pump failure resulting from accelerated wear. The intent of this paper is to assess the degree of wear protection provided by various materials deposited by HVOF as compared to those coatings accepted by pump manufacturers. The materials tested ranged from tungsten carbide to chromium carbide to nickel-base alloys. The coating properties were analyzed by metallographic characterization, abrasive wear, corrosive wear, and anti-galling.