Zinc-oxide-aluminum layered double hydroxide (ZnO-Al LDH) coated pearlitic low alloy hot rolled steel was studied in this paper. First, a brief introduction to the multi-layer coated material system has been established. In addition to the features of the parent steel coating process, the adhesion and coating quality were studied, including preparation of the samples, evaluation of the coating process. Adhesive strength was then determined using Vickers hardness and a tensile pull test. Subsequently, tribological and mechanical properties of the coated steel were then determined through a series of tests including tribological tests and sliding-wire wear testing. Finally, a comprehensive analysis of the results, along with an in-depth discussion of the potential applications of these materials is presented.
A multi-layer coating system was constructed by combining ZnO-Al LDH with a pearlitic low alloy hot rolled steel. The steel was pre-coated with a primer followed by an epoxy resin coating, which was then further coated with a layer of ZnO-Al LDH. The coated material samples were prepared by dip coating in a single-step process, and cross-sectional views of the samples were obtained and examined using a scanning electron microscope. The coefficient of friction and wear rate of the coating were determined using a pin-on-disc tribometer. Additionally, the microhardness, adhesion strength, tensile strength and fatigue resistance of the materials were also measured and discussed.
The results of the coating evaluation showed that the ZnO-Al LDH coating had an excellent adhesion, coating quality and significantly improved the tribological and mechanical properties of the steel. The Vickers hardness and pull test demonstrated a strong and homogenous bonding between the coating and the steel. Furthermore, the coating showed good sliding-wire wear resistance, a low coefficient of friction, and a low wear rate, suggesting excellent anti-wear properties.
The microhardness and tensile strength of the ZnO-Al LDH coated steel were found to be enhanced up to 231% and 20%, respectively. The fatigue resistance was also substantially improved, showing that the ZnO-Al LDH coating contributes to the improved performance of the steel in fatigue loading applications.
In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the ZnO-Al LDH coated pearlitic low alloy hot rolled steel is a viable option for many engineering applications requiring high wear resistance and mechanical properties. The coating enhances the corrosion resistance, sliding-wire wear resistance, tensile strength and fatigue resistance of the steel. Furthermore, it was found that this coating system improves the metal’s overall performance under various conditions, making it suitable for high performance applications.