Abstract
In the petroleum industry, erosion and corrosion of critical components such as valves and seat rings cause serious operational challenges. To minimize these problems, thermal spray coatings are widely used, especially those created using high velocity oxygen flame (HVOF) technology. These coatings are widely recognized for their high wear resistance and ability to perform effectively under extreme conditions. This study investigates the effect of powder particle size distribution on the structural, mechanical and tribological properties of WC-12Co coatings produced by HVOF. Three powder size fractions are considered in the study: 0-20 μm, 30-40 μm and 40-50 μm. Stainless steel substrates were coated and the resulting coatings were analyzed for porosity, hardness, wear resistance and microstructure using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), hardness measurements and tribological tests. The results showed that finer powder fractions resulted in denser coatings with lower porosity and higher hardness values reac