Abstract
In this work, self-fluxing metal-ceramic coatings based on the NiCrFeBSiC system were obtained by air plasma spraying, and their structural, mechanical, and tribological properties were investigated.. The effect of argon flow rate (1600 and 1800 L/h) during coating formation was consideredIt was found that an increase in argon flow rate leads to an approximately twofold increase in coating thickness and a twofold decrease in porosity. According to the microhardness measurement results, the microhardness was 1015.8 ± 81.5 HV, while the elastic modulus was 203.9 ± 5.4 GPa. Tribological tests were carried out using the ball-on-disk configurationAt an argon flow rate of 1800 L/h, the friction coefficient showed a lower value (≈0.107), indicating improved wear resistance of the coatings. Scratch test results showed a high level of adhesion between the coatings and the substrate. Although the critical load values (Lc) were similar for both regimes, the coatings obtained at 1800 L/h exhibited a more gradual and stable failure behavior.