Evaluation and characterization of fretting wear resistant FeCoNiMoW high entropy alloy coating on NAB substrate

Abstract

Fretting wear is one factor in a tightly fitted nickel-aluminum bronze (NAB) alloy, reducing service life and performance. Depositing a high entropy alloy (HEA) coating is a potential solution to enhance the fretting wear resistance of the NAB alloy surface. Thus, in the current study, a FeCoNiMoW HEA coating was developed on the NAB substrate by the electrodeposition process using an aqueous electrolyte. The morphology, microstructure, adhesion strength, and fretting wear behavior of the deposited HEA coating at room temperature were studied. The deposited HEA coating exhibited flaky morphology and a single solid solution of face-centered cubic (FCC) phase. The synergistic effects of hardness and the formation of a lubricating oxides layer of Mo and W in the coating demonstrated significantly lower wear volume than the NAB substrate. The wear resistance of the HEA coating was ≈ 90% better than that of the NAB substrate. The deposited coating revealed the dominant abrasive and minor fatigue wear mechanisms. © The Author(s) 2026