Severe erosion wear is found on valve spools, which threatens the safety and reliability of these units. The use of the plasma beam spraying surfacing method can significantly improve the corrosion resistance and sealing performance of hydraulic valve spools, reduce material waste, and reduce maintenance costs. The effects of the co-addition of CeO₂ and SiC particles on the morphology, surface cracks, microstructure, precipitated phases, and wear property of plasma-beam-sprayed Fe55-based coatings on 1025 steel were investigated using OM, EDS, ultra-deep field microscopy, and a wet sand rubber wheel friction tester, respectively. The dendrite exhibited a directional growth pattern perpendicular to the substrate and the transitional states of the microstructure with the co-addition of CeO₂ and SiC particles. CeO₂ or SiC reduced the liquid phase diffusion coefficient D_L of Cr and C and resulted in a decrease in the G/R ratio. The dendrites changed into equiaxed grains. The main phase composition of the Fe55 welding layer was Cr₇C₃, γ-Fe. The martensite in the surfacing layer and the carbides formed Cr₇C₃, which can improve the hardness of the surfacing layer. The grain boundaries consisted mainly of a reticular eutectic structure. The uniform distribution of the Cr₇C₃ hard phase in the Fe55+1.5 wt% SiC+0.01 wt% CeO₂ resulted in a uniformly worn surface. The sub-wear mechanisms during the friction process were micro-ploughing and micro-cutting. The hardness and toughness of Fe55+1.5 wt% SiC+0.01 wt% CeO₂ were well-matched, avoiding excessive micro-cutting and microplastic deformation. A low content of CeO₂ could lead to the formation of equiaxed grain and effectively improve the uniformity of the microstructure. The wear-resistant layer of Fe55+1.5 wt% SiC+0.01 wt% CeO₂ can effectively improve the service life and long-term sealing performance of the valve spools.

In this paper, the Fe-Cr-Ni-Si powder was used in a 3D plasma spray welding machine to perform spray welding repair tests on continuous casting segmented rollers for service life improvement. The phase composition, hardness distribution, abrasion resistance and thermal stability of the spray welding layer were analyzed. Results indicated that the spray welding layer produced by 160 A welding current was more uniform and was with finer organization. The main phase zone was a single γ-Fe and the fusion zone was metallurgically combined with the base metal in a planar grain manner. The hardness of the spray welding layer was the maximum when the welding current was 160 A. The abrasion resistance for each position of the spray welding layer was uniform. The γ-Fe phase zone decreased and the α-Fe phase zone increased with reduction of average hardness after the thermal stability test. In industrial tests, the optimum spray welding parameters were verified and the service life of the continuous casting segmented rollers with spray welding was 2 longer than rollers using surfacing welding process.

The effect of quench–polish–quench (QPQ) nitriding temperature and rare earth yttrium (Y) content on the microstructure and properties of Q235 steel was investigated. The nitriding layer is divided into an oxide layer (Li₂Fe₃O₄ and Fe₃O₄), a compound layer (Fe₃N), a diffusion layer, the addition of Y effectively increased the steel performance after nitriding, but too much rare earth yttrium will inhibit the nitriding effect. The thickness of nitriding layer of Q235 carbon steel increased and then decreased with the increasing of rare earth Y content, and the thickest nitride layer was obtained using 2%Y at 580°C. The best hardness and corrosion resistance was obtained using 2% Y at 565°C.

The corrosion resistance of low-carbon steel and two new low-alloy, corrosion-resistant steels containing Cu-Sb and Cu was studied in a simulated seawater environment. The effects of Cu and Sb on corrosion resistance were analyzed by an electrochemical test and accelerated corrosion test. The results show that Cu and Sb reduce the corrosion current density by increasing the corrosion potential and increasing the polarization resistance. Sb can promote the formation of Cu-containing compounds with a strong corrosion inhibition performance, and it can enhance the overall corrosion resistance of steel. In addition, Sb can also promote the conversion of Fe²⁺ ions into a corrosion-resistant compound, α-FeOOH, and it also further improves the corrosion resistance of steel.

In order to enhance the performance of 20# steel, this study successfully fabricated AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy coatings with different WC contents (x = 0, 10, 20, 30 wt%) on its surface using plasma cladding technology. The effects of WC content on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance of the coatings were systematically investigated. The results indicate that without WC addition, the coating consists of a dual-phase structure comprising BCC and FCC phases. With the incorporation of WC, the FCC phase disappears, and the coating evolves into a composite structure based on the BCC matrix, embedded with multiple carbide phases such as W₂C, M₇C₃, M_xC_γ, and Co₆W₆C. These carbides are predominantly distributed along grain boundaries. As the WC content increases, significant grain refinement occurs and the volume fraction of carbides rises. The coating exhibits a mixed microstructure of equiaxed and columnar crystals, with excellent metallurgical bonding to the substrate. The microhardness of the coating increases markedly with higher WC content; however, the rate of enhancement slows when WC exceeds 20 wt%. The hardness of 1066.36 HV is achieved at 30 wt% WC. Wear test results show that both the friction coefficient and wear rate first decrease and then increase with increasing WC content. The optimal wear resistance is observed at 20 wt% WC, with a friction coefficient of 0.549 and a wear mass loss of only 0.25 mg, representing an approximately 40% reduction compared to the WC-free coating. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that the coating with 20 wt% WC facilitates the formation of a dense and stable passive film in NaCl solution, effectively inhibiting Cl⁻ ion penetration. This coating exhibits the best corrosion resistance, characterized by the lowest corrosion current density of 1.349 × 10⁻⁶ A·cm⁻² and the highest passive film resistance of 2764 Ω·cm².

The effects of co-addition CeO2 and SiC particles on the morphology, surface cracks, microstructure, precipitated phases and wear property of plasma beam spraying Fe55-based coatings on 1025 steel were investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), ultra-deep field microscope and wet sand rubber wheel friction tester, respectively. The results showed that the dendrite exhibited a directional growth pattern perpendicular to the substrate and the transitional states of microstructure with the co-addition CeO2 and SiC particles. With addition of CeO2 or SiC affected the flowability of molten steel at macro level, leading to a reduction in the liquid phase diffusion coefficient DL of Cr and C and resulted in a decrease in the G/R ratio. The dendrites changed into equiaxed grains. The main phase composition of Fe55 welding layer is Cr7C3, γ-Fe. The grain boundaries consisted mainly of a reticular eutectic structure. The worn-out uniformly surface of the Fe55+1.5 wt% SiC+0.01wt% CeO2 with Ra was 0.28 μm was smoother than that of other samples. The sub-wear mechanisms during the friction process were microploughing and microcutting. The hardness and toughness of Fe55+1.5 wt% SiC+0.01wt% CeO2 were well-matched, avoiding excessive microcutting and microplastic deformation.