Tribological Study of Fe–W–P Electrodeposited Coating on 316 L Stainless Steel

Abstract

Ternary iron–tungsten–phosphorus (Fe–W–P) coatings were electrodeposited with different sodium tungstate (NaWO4·2H2O) concentration on stainless steel 316 L substrate. These coatings were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The friction and wear behavior of these coatings were investigated using ball-on-disk tribometer under dry conditions. This study reveals a nanocrystalline and nodular structure with nanometric grain size of the deposited alloy. The maximum level of incorporation of tungsten (W) is about 29.54 at %. It was obtained with 0.5 M of sodium tungstate concentration, and it increases the microhardness of the coatings. Moreover, it was found that Fe–W–P coatings had significantly improved the tribological properties of the substrate due to their higher wear resistance and lower friction coefficient.