Effect of CeO2 addition on microstructure and tribological characteristics of laser cladded Cu10Al–MoS2 coating under oil lubrication

In order to improve the friction and wear properties of Cu10Al–MoS2 coating, the addition of CeO2 is one of the present research hot spots. In this work, Cu10Al–MoS2 coatings with different CeO2 mass fractions were successfully fabricated on Q235 steel using a laser cladding. The microstructure and phase compositions of obtained coatings were analyzed using an ultra-depth of field microscope and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The friction-wear test was carried out under oil lubrication using a ball-on-disk wear tester, and the effects of CeO2 mass fraction on the microstructure, hardness, and friction-wear properties were studied, and the wear mechanism was also discussed. The results show that the laser cladded Cu10Al–MoS2 coatings with the different CeO2 mass fractions were mainly composed of Cu9Al4, Cu, AlFe3, Ni, MoS2, and CeO2 phases. The Vickers-hardness (HV) of Cu10Al–8MoS2–3CeO2, Cu10Al–8MoS2–6CeO2, and Cu10Al–8MoS2–9CeO2 coatings was 418, 445, and 457 HV0.3, respectively, which indicates an increase in hardness with the increase of CeO2 mass fraction. The average coefficients of friction (COF) and wear rates decrease with the increase of CeO2 mass fraction, presenting the outstanding friction reduction and wear resistance performances. The wear mechanism of Cu10Al–MoS2 coatings is changed from abrasive wear with slight fatigue wear to abrasive wear with the increase of CeO2 mass fraction.