Abstract: The friction and wear properties of plasma-sprayed nanostructured FeS coating were investigated on an MHK-500 friction and wear tester under both oil lubrication and dry friction condition. The microstructure, worn surface morphology and phase composition of the coating were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that the coating was mainly composed of FeS, a small quantity of Fe1-xS and oxide were also found. The coating was formed by small particles of 50~100 nm in size. The thickness of the coating is approximately 150 μm. The friction-reduction and wear-resistance properties of plasma-sprayed nanostructured FeS coating were superior to that of GCr15 steel substrate. Especially under oil lubrication condition, the friction coefficient of nanostructured FeS coating was 50% of that of GCr15 steel, the wear scar widths of the coating were also reduced to nearly 50% of that of GCr15 steel under high load. The failure of the coating was mainly attributed to plastic deformation under both oil lubrication and dry friction condition.

Key words: Plasma spray, Nanostructured, Sulfide, Friction and wear