Experimental study on steam oxidation resistance at 600 °C of Inconel 625 coatings deposited by HVOF and laser cladding

Inconel 625 (IN625) coatings were deposited by High-Velocity Oxy-fuel (HVOF) and laser cladding, on a 10.50–12%Cr steel to improve its oxidation resistance. Both as-deposited coatings exhibited a γ-Ni-Cr matrix and two protective oxides (Cr2O3 and NiCr2O4). In addition, laser cladding as-deposited coatings also presented precipitates A2B-type Laves phases due to the dilution effect from laser cladding technique. Coated and uncoated steel were oxidized under isothermal conditions at 600 °C for 2000 h and subsequently analyzed using gravimetry, SEM-EDS and XRD techniques. The application of IN625 coatings revealed a weight gain ten times lower than that registered for the uncoated steel, this improvement being mainly due to the presence of protective and stable Cr2O3 and NiCr2O4 oxides. Additionally, the XRD analysis showed that the initial Laves phases present in the laser cladding coating, were re-dissolved and transformed in δ-Ni3Nb compound suggesting that that the temperature and exposure time are enough to induce this transformation.