Influence of laser re-melting and vacuum heat treatment on plasma-sprayed FeCoCrNiAl alloy coatings

FeCoCrNiAl high entropy alloy coatings were prepared by supersonic air-plasma spraying. The coatings were post-treated by vacuum heat treatment at 600 and 900 °C, and laser re-melting with 300 W, respectively, to study the influence of different treatments on the structure and properties of the coatings. The phase constitution, microstructure and microhardness of the coatings after treatments were investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry. Results showed that the as-sprayed coatings consisted of pure metal and Fe-Cr. The AlNi3 phase was obtained after the vacuum heat treatment process. A body-centered cubic structure with less AlNi3 could be found in the coating after the laser re-melting process. The average hardness values of the as-sprayed coating and the coatings with two different temperature vacuum heat treatments and with laser re-melting were 177, 227, 266 and 682 HV, respectively. This suggests that the vacuum heat treatment promoted the alloying process of the coatings, and contributed to the enhancement of the coating wear resistance. The laser re-melted coating showed the best wear resistance.