ABRASIVE WEAR BEHAVIOR OF AL-CU-FE QUASI-CRYSTALLINE COMPOSITE COATINGS

Quasicrystals are a relatively new class of materials which exhibit un usual atomic structure and useful physical and chemical properties. Th e inherent brittleness of quasicrystals has limited their potential us e to primarily surface coating applications. This study examined the e ffect on abrasive wear behavior of Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystalline coatings through the addition (e.g. 0-100 v/o) of a relatively ductile Fe-Al ph ase. Coatings were deposited by plasma are spraying techniques. The in corporation of discrete Fe-Al particles into the quasicrystalline coat ing matrix improves the abrasive wear resistance. Moreover, it is obse rved that low-level additions of the Fe-Al phase (e.g. 1 v/o) produce the most abrasive wear-resistant coating. The wear behavior of the qua sicrystalline and composite coatings is discussed in terms of wear mod e and coating hardness. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights rese rved.