ALTERNATIVE TO CHROME - HVOF CERMET COATINGS FOR HIGH HORSE POWER DIESEL-ENGINES

High velocity oxygen fuel sprayed face coatings have shown great promi se for piston rings used for high power density diesel engines. Variou s coatings have been tested on both wear test rigs and in an engine. A highly dense HVOF cermet coating was developed with reasonable crack resistance during service. The HVOF coated piston rings wort three to six times lower than chrome plating. Cylinder liner (counter fate) wea r was found to be one to three times higher than chrome. The HVOF coat ing is considered to be an excellent replacement for chrome plating. T he coating process is more environmentally friendly than the chrome pl ating process. Also, the coating has potentially lower or equivalent p roduction cost when compared to chrome.