Issued October 2000

Supersedes October, 1983

TM

Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2

®

Tungsten Carbide Composite

Powders

Technical Bulletin #10-058

 ®
Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2 Tungsten Carbide
Composite Powders
Note: Metco 73F-NS-2 was designed for, and conforms to, Rolls Royce Specification MSRR
9507/1. Metco 73F-NS-2 should be used whenever it is necessary to meet that
specification.

Summary:Metco 73F-NS-1 and Metco 73F-NS-2 are fine grade Tungsten Carbide/17% Cobalt
Composite Powders developed for spraying with the Metco Plasma Flame Spray Process.

Metco 73F-NS-2 was developed as a lower-cost alternative to 73F-NS-1.

Metco 73F-NS-1 and Metco 73F-NS-2 can be sprayed with argon, argon/hydrogen or
argon/helium plasma gas parameters.

The benefits of coatings of Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2 are:

* They are hard, dense, smooth and tough;

* They are consistently high in quality, with very small difference from one coating to
the next. This is important under severe service conditions of fretting under impact
and wear by abrasion;
* They are a very close second to the best coatings of Metco 72F for wear by fretting
under impact - at lower cost;
* They are a very close second to the best coatings of Metco 72F for wear by abrasion
- at lower cost;
* They are better than coatings of Metco 438NS-1 Tungsten Carbide Self-Fusing
Powder for fretting and abrasion;
* They can be ground and lapped to finishes as smooth as, or smoother than, ground
and lapped coatings of Metco 72F-NS and Metco 438NS-1;
* They are consistent and reproducible.

Coatings of Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2 will perform well on parts such as slush pump piston rods,
polished rod liners, shifter forks, pump seals, dump valves, lathe centers, exhaust fans and any other
parts where service conditions involve wear by fretting, hard surfaces, abrasive grains and particle
erosion.

Metco 73F-NS-1 and Metco 73F-NS-2 can be sprayed with the Metco Type 3M, 7M, 9M and 10M
Plasma Flame Spray System, using argon, argon/hydrogen or argon/helium as the plasma gas. Cat.
No. 2M 375 Special Low Capacity Hydrogen Flowmeter Tube Float Assembly is required.

#10-058 Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2 Tungsten Carbide Composite Powders 2

 Specification Conformance

Metco 73F-NS-1 conforms to General Electric Specification B50TF167. Metco 73F-NS-2 conforms to
Rolls Royce LTD Specification MSRR 9507/1.

This issue adds Type 9MB and 10MB Plasma Gun Parameters and Spray Parameter Set #3.

Applications

Metco 73F-NS-1 and Metco 73F-NS-2 is recommended for the following applications:

Coating No. Coating Function Typical Application

P73F - 10 Resist Fretting (Low Temperature - Mid-span stiffeners,

P73F-17 No Intended Motion) jet engine compressor
blades, aircraft flap
tracks

P73F-10 Resist Fretting (Low Temperature - Mid-span stiffeners,

P73F-17 Intended Motion) jet engine compressor
blades

P73F-10 Resist Abrasive Grains (Low Temperature) Sucker rod couplings

P73F-17

P73F-10 Resist Hard Surfaces (Low Temperature) Wire drawing capstans

P73F-17

Coating Selection

Coating P73F-10 can be applied with the 3M, 7M, 9M or 10M Plasma System, using argon/hydrogen
as the plasma gas. Coating P73F-10 can be applied with a 7M, 9M or 10M Plasma System, using
pure argon or argon/helium as the plasma gas.

Coating P73F-17 is slightly more dense than coating P73F-10 and shows a significant improvement in
resistance to abrasive wear and fretting.

Powder Characteristics

Typical Composition: Cobalt 17%

Tungsten Carbide Balance

Typical Size Range: -270 mesh +10 microns

-53 +10 microns

Melting Point: (Approximate) 1260˚C (2300˚F)

#10-058 Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2 Tungsten Carbide Composite Powders 3

Typical Physical Properties of the Coatings

P73F-10 P73F-17
Texture, as-sprayed (microinches aa): 250-350 250-300
Finish (microinches aa),
Ground (150 grit diamond wheel): 10-18 10-18
Lapped (1 micron diamond paste): 2-2.5 2-2.5
Macrohardness: Rc50-55 Rc55
Microhardness (WC-Co Solid Solution): Knoop501100 —
Cross Sectional Hardness (DPH300): 750-950 750-950
Porosity (%): 3% Less than 3%
Density (g/cc): 11.0 11.8
Bond Strength, Metcolite F Blast,
Low Carbon Steel (normal preheat), psi: 9,000 Greater than 10,000
N/cm2: 6,200 6,900
Aluminum (normal preheat), psi: 4,000 —
N/cm2: 2,760 —
Titanium (no preheat), psi: 7,500 —
N/cm2: 5,170 —
Coating Weight (lb/ft2/.001"): .057 .061
(kg/m2/0.1mm): 1.10 1.18

Thickness Limitation

Do not apply Metco 73F-NS-1 or Metco 73F-NS-2 to a thickness greater than 0.4mm (.015"). With
thicker coatings, there is a risk of cracking.

Wear Resistance

Abrasive wear tests, using a water slurry of aluminum oxide, have been conducted to determine the
relative abrasive grain wear resistance of coatings P72F-12, P73F-10 and P438-10,-11. The laboratory
results were:

Wear Ratio
P73F-10 compared with H.V. Argon/Helium P72F-12: .75
P73F-17 compared with H.V. Argon/Helium P72F-12: .85
P73F-10 compared with P438-10,-11: 1.7-2.0

In addition, tests to compare the resistance of the two coatings to fretting wear were also conducted.
The results, and the results of the tests in the field, lead to the conclusions that:

* The best P72F-12 coatings exhibit the best resistance to fretting. However, P72F-12 coatings
can vary in capability to resist fretting wear over a broad range, from the very best to
somewhat lower;

* P73F-10 coatings will more consistently provide resistance to fretting over a narrower range
within the P72F-12 range, but not equal to the best;

#10-058 Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2 Tungsten Carbide Composite Powders 4

* P73F-10 coatings are significantly more resistant to fretting than P438-10,-11 coatings

Spraying

Both Metco 73F-NS-1 and Metco 73F-NS-2 should be applied with the spray parameters
recommended in this bulletin.

Traverse gun at a rate which applies no more than .025mm (.001") per pass. Slower traverse will
cause laminations in the coating.

Substrate Preheat Temperature: Normal 90-120˚C (200-250˚F).

Substrate Temperature During Spraying: Normal 200˚C (400˚F) maximum.

Finishing

Grind with diamond wheels, using the speeds and feeds associated with grinding flame sprayed
tungsten carbide coatings, shown in Volume III of the Metco Flame Spray Handbook.

Safety Measures

Flame spraying is a completely safe process when performed in accordance with “Metco’s Safety
Measures”. Familiarize yourself with local safety regulations before starting spraying operations. DO
NOT operate your spraying equipment or use the spray material supplied before you have thoroughly
read the Metco Instruction Manual.

Disregarding these instructions may be dangerous to your health.

#10-058 Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2 Tungsten Carbide Composite Powders 5

System Parameters Plasma Flame

Set #1 Set #2 Set #3

A/H2 A Ar/He
Spray Gun
Type: 3MB/7MB/9MB/10MB 7MB/9MB/10MB 7MB/9MB/10MB
Nozzle: GE/731/825 704/724/804 704/724/804
Powder Port: #2 #5 #5 (Note 1)
Uni-Jet Ring: (Note 2) 3M 275 N/A N/A
Insulator: Note 3 Note 3 Note 3

Gas
Pressure - Primary, psi: 100 100 100
bar: 6.9 6.9 6.9
Secondary, psi: 50 Note 6 100
bar: 3.5 — 6.9
Flow - Primary: 160 200 200
Secondary: (Note 4) 80% (Note 5) 0 (Note 7) 15

Power
Unit: (Note 6) 6MR, 7MR 6MR, 7MR 6MR, 7MR
Arc Amps: 400 1,000 1,000
Arc Volts: 50-55 45-55 58 (Note 8)

Powder Feed
Unit: 3MP or 3MP-Dual
Meter Wheel: S S P
RPM: (Note 9) 25 15 25
Vibrator Air Pressure, psi: N/A N/A 15
bar: N/A N/A 1.0
Carrier Gas Flow: 50 50 50

Spraying
Spray Distance, inches: 3 2.5 31/2 (Note 10)
mm: 76 64 89
Spray Rate, lb/hr: 11 6 6
kg/hr: 4.99 2.72 2.7
Coverage, ft2/hr/.001": 135 54 49
m2/hr/0.1mm: 3.1 1.3 1.2
Powder Required, lb/ft2/.001": .081 .111 .122
kg/m2/0.1mm: 1.6 2.1 2.3
Deposit Efficiency, %: (Note 11) 70 55 50
Deposition Rate, lb/hr: 7.7 3.3 3
kg/hr: 3.5 1.1 1.4

#10-058 Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2 Tungsten Carbide Composite Powders 6

Notes:
1. When using any high speed oscillating equipment such as the Metco “Wiggler”, set the powder
port at the 6 o’clock position.
2. With the Type 3MB Gun, use Cat. No. 3M 275 Uni Jet Ring with the Cat. No 3M 276 Electrode
Nut. Install ring with the 45˚ internal recess facing the nut and with the jet hole toward the top of
the gun, approximately 180˚ from the gas inlet.
3. With the Type 7MB Gun, use Cat. No. 7M 50 Insulator with Argon. With the Type 9MB Gun, use
Cat. No. 9MB 50 Insulator, and with the Type 10MB Gun, use Cat. No 10MB 50 Insulator.
4. The secondary gas flow shown in the chart may be adjusted as much as ±5 points, if necessary to
obtain voltage within the range shown; EXCEPT THAT the secondary gas flow may not be
reduced to zero, and hydrogen flow may not exceed 25. If the required voltage is not obtained
with this preliminary gas flow adjustment, check the equipment for a worn nozzle, a worn
electrode, or a gas leak between the flowmeter and the gun. If there is no gas leak, and the nozzle
and electrode are not badly worn, further adjustment of the secondary gas flow, up to an additional
±5 points, is permissible, if this second adjustment does not result in a flow of zero or a hydrogen
flow exceeding 25. If the required voltage is not then obtained, replace the worn parts.
5. Use Special Low Capacity Hydrogen Flowmeter Tube and Float Assembly, Cat. No. 2M 375.
6. CAUTION: When using the Type 6MR and 7MR Power Supply Units with a Type 3MB Gun, do not
exceed 40KW operation.
7. When zero secondary flow is specified, pressure is required to activate the secondary gas
pressure switch. The same gas, as used for the primary, may be used for this purpose. Make sure
to keep the secondary flowmeter closed.
8. KW level to be maintained at 58. Adjust Helium flow plus or minus 5 points to obtain 58 volts. Do
not exceed this range.
9. Use as a starting point. Adjust as necessary to obtain spray rate shown.
10. Spray distance, critical.
11. Rounded off for easy calculation. Spray rates and deposit efficiencies shown were obtained by
skilled operators with all equipment in first-class condition.

Producing Recommended Coatings

P73F-10 P73F-17

Surface Preparation: Use any standard method Use any standard method
Spraying: Use Spraying Parameter Set No. 1 Use Spraying Parameter Set Nos. 2 or 3
Finishing: Grind Grind

The information provided in this document is for the convenience of Sulzer Metco’s customers for the
purpose of evaluation and proper use of the Sulzer Metco product(s) described herein. This document
and the information contained herein is the property of Sulzer Metco and shall not be used, disclosed,
or reproduced in whole or in part for any purpose other than for the use of said product(s). Nor shall
this information be used in any way with goods not manufactured and sold by Sulzer Metco. Sulzer
Metco makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the information contained herein.

#10-058 Metco 73F-NS-1 and 73F-NS-2 Tungsten Carbide Composite Powders 7