Dry sliding wear behaviour of nickel aluminides coatings produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis

Nickel aluminides coatings have been produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis using concentrated solar energy, with nickel composition of coatings ranging from 45 to 75 at.%. The dry sliding wear behaviour of coatings has been performed in a pin-on-disk tribometer. NiAl coatings (50 at.% Ni) have been tested against Al2O3 and WC–Co balls, while other coatings have been tested against Al2O3 balls. In all the coatings a three-body abrasion is produced by the particles detached from the coating surface and then oxidized, which remain between the ball and the coating. NiAl coatings exhibit the lowest wear coefficient while coatings with the highest Ni content have the highest wear coefficients. Wear coefficients show that NiAl coatings or coatings composed mainly of NiAl have a high wear resistance.