Domestic commercial low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste storage containers are manufactured using 1.2 mm thick cold-rolled steel sheets, and the outer surface is coated with a thin layer of primer of 10~36 μm. However, the outer surface of the primer of the container may be damaged due to physical friction, such as acceleration, resonance, and vibration during transportation. As a result, exposed steel surfaces undergo accelerated corrosion, reducing the overall durability of the container. The integrity of storage containers is directly related to the safety of workers. Therefore, the development of storage containers with enhanced durability is necessary. This paper provides an analysis of mechanical properties related to the durability of WC (tungsten carbide)-based coating materials for developing low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste storage containers. Three different WC-based coating specimens with varied composition ratios were prepared using HVOF (high-velocity oxy-fuel) technique. These different specimens (namely WC-85, WC-73, and WC-66) were uniformly deposited on cold-rolled steel surfaces ensuring a constant thickness of 250 μm. In this work, the mechanical properties of the three different WCbased coaitng materials evaluated from the viewpoints of microstructure, hardness, adheision force between substrate and coating material, and wear resistance. The cross-sectional SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) images revealed that elements W (tungsten), C (carbon), Ni (nickel), and Cr (chromium) were uniformly distributed within the each coating layers which was approximately 250 μm thick. The average hardness values of HWC-85 and HWC-73 were found to be 1,091 Hv (Vickers Hardness) and 1,083 Hv, respectively, while the HWC-66 exhibited relatively lower hardness value of 883 Hv. This indicates that a higher WC content results in increased hardness. Adhesion force between and substrates and coating materials exceeded 60 MPa for all specimens, however, there were no significant differences observed based on the tungsten carbide content. Furthermore, a taber-type abrasion tester was used for conducting abrasion resistance tests under specific conditions including an H-18 load weight at 1,000 g with rotational speed set at 60 RPM. The abrasion resistance tests were performed under ambient temperatures (RT: 23±2°C) as well as relative humidity levels (RH: 50±10%). Currently, the ongoing abrasion resistance tests will include some results in this study.

This study focuses on the development of coatings designed for storage containers used in the management of radioactive waste. The primary objective is to enhance the shielding performance of these containers against either gamma or neutron radiation. Shielding against these types of radiation is essential to ensure the safety of personnel and the environment. In this study, tungsten and boron cabide coating specimens were manufactured using the HVOF (High-Velocity Oxy Fuel) technuqe. These coatings act as an additional layer of protection for the storage containers, effectively absorbing and attenuating gamma and neutron radiation. The fabricated tungsten and boron carbide coating specimens were evaluated using two different testing methods. The first experiment evaluates the effectiveness of a radiation shielding coating on cold-rolled steel surfaces, achieved by applying a mixture of WC (Tungsten Carbide) powders. WC-based coating specimens, featuring different ratios, were prepared and preliminarily assessed for their radiation shielding capabilities. In the gamma-ray shielding test, Cs-137 was utilized as the radiation source. The coating thickness remained constant at 250 μm. Based on the test results, the attenuation ratio and shielding rate for each coated specimen were calculated. It was observed that the gammaray shielding rate exhibited relatively higher shielding performance as the WC content increased. This observation aligns with our findings from the gamma-ray shielding test and underscores the potential benefits of increasing the tungsten content in the coating. In the second experiment, a neutron shielding material was created by applying a 100 μm-thick layer of B4C (Boron Carbide) onto 316SS. The thermal neutron (AmBe) shielding test results demonstrated an approximate shielding rate of 27%. The thermal neutron shielding rate was confirmed to exceed 99.9% in the 1.5 cm thick SiC+B4C bulk plate. This indicates a significant reduction in required volume. This study establishes that these coatings enhance the gamma-ray and neutron shielding effectiveness of storage containers designed for managing radioactive waste. In the future, we plan to conduct a comparative evaluation of the radiation shielding properties to optimize the coating conditions and ensure optimal shielding effectiveness.

With the increasing attention to environmental pollution caused by particulate matter globally, the automotive industry has also become increasingly interested in particulate matter, especially particulate matter generated by automobile brake systems. Here, we designed a coating composition and analyzed its mechanical properties to reduce particulate matter generated by brake systems during braking of vehicles. We designed a composition to check the mechanical properties change by adding Cr3C2 and YSZ to the WC-Ni-Cr composite composition. Based on the designed composition, coating samples were manufactured, and the coating properties were analyzed by Vickers hardness and ball-on-disk tests. As a result of the experiments, we found that the hardness and friction coefficient of the coating increased as the amount of Cr3C2 added decreased. Furthermore, we found that the hardness of the coating layer decreased when YSZ was added at 20vol%, but the friction coefficient was higher than the composition with Cr3C2 addition.

The effect of the process conditions of high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spray coating on the porosity of the coating layer is investigated. HVOF coating layers are formed by depositing amorphous FeMoCrBC powder. Oxygen pressure varies from 126 to 146 psi and kerosene pressure from 110 to 130 psi. The Microstructural analysis confirms its porosity. Data analysis is performed using experimental data. The oxygen pressure-kerosene pressure ratio is found to be a key contributor to the porosity. An empirical model is proposed using linear regression analysis. The proposed model is then validated using additional test data. We confirm that the oxygen pressure-kerosene pressure ratio exponentially increases porosity. We present a porosity prediction model relationship for the oxygen pressure-kerosene pressure ratio.

A new Fe-Cr-Mo-B-C amorphous alloy is designed, which offers high mechanical strength, corrosion resistance as well as high glass-forming ability and its gas-atomized amorphous powder is deposited on an ASTM A213-T91 steel substrate using the high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) process. The hybrid coating layer, consisting of nanocrystalline and amorphous phases, exhibits strong bonding features with the substrate, without revealing significant pore formation. By the coating process, it is possible to obtain a dense structure in which pores are hardly observed not only inside the coating layer but also at the interface between the coating layer and the substrate. The coating layer exhibits good adhesive strength as well as good wear resistance, making it suitable for coating layers for biomass applications.

In this study, the formation, microstructure, and wear properties of Colmonoy 88 (Ni-17W-15Cr-3B-4Si wt.%) + Stellite 1 (Co-32Cr-17W wt.%) coating layers fabricated by high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spraying are investigated. Colmonoy 88 and Stellite 1 powders were mixed at a ratio of 1:0 and 5:5 vol.%. HVOF sprayed selffluxing composite coating layers were fabricated using the mixed powder feedstocks. The microstructures and wear properties of the composite coating layers are controlled via a high-frequency heat treatment. The two coating layers are composed of γ-Ni, Ni3B, W2B, and Cr23C6 phases. Co peaks are detected after the addition of Stellite 1 powder. Moreover, the WCrB2 hard phase is detected in all coating layers after the high-frequency heat treatment. Porosities were changed from 0.44% (Colmonoy 88) to 3.89% (Colmonoy 88 + ST#1) as the content of Stellite 1 powder increased. And porosity is denoted as 0.3% or less by inducing high-frequency heat treatment. The wear results confirm that the wear property significantly improves after the high-frequency heat treatment, because of the presence of wellcontrolled defects in the coating layers. The wear surfaces of the coated layers are observed and a wear mechanism for the Ni-based self-fluxing composite coating layers is proposed.

The microstructure, hardness, and wear behaviors of a High Velocity Oxygen Fuel(HVOF) sprayed WC-CoFe coating are comparatively investigated before and after laser heat treatments of the coating surface. During the spraying, the binder metal is melted and a small portion of WC is decomposed to W2C. A porous coating is formed by evolution of carbon oxide gases formed by the reaction of the free carbon and the sprayed oxygen gas. The laser heat treatment eliminates the porosity and provides a more densified microstructure. After laser heat treatment, the porosity in the coating layer decreases from 1.7% to 1.2 and the coating thickness decreases from 150 μm to 100 μm. The surface hardness increases from 1440 Hv to 1117 Hv. In the wear test, the friction coefficient of coating decreases from 0.45 to 0.32 and the wear resistance is improved by the laser heat treatment. The improvement is likely due to the formation of oxide tribofilms.

WC-CrC-Ni coatings were prepared by nine processes of the Taguchi program with three levels for the four spray parameters: spray distance, flow rates of hydrogen and oxygen, and powder feed rate. The optimal coating process (OCP) was oxygen flow rate of 38 FMR, hydrogen flow rate of 53 FMR, powder feed rate of 25 g/min, and spray distance of 7 inches. Hardness of 1150 Hv and porosity of 1.2 %, were obtained by OCP; these are better results compared with the highest 1033 Hv and the lowest 1.5% porosity obtained by nine processes of the Taguchi program. Friction coefficient of the WC-CrC-Ni coating decreased from 0.36 ± 0.07 at 25 oC to 0.23 ± 0.07 at 450 oC. These values were smaller than those of the EHC (electrolytic hard chrome) plating at both temperatures due to lubrication from the oxide debris. The wear trace and wear depth of the coating are smaller than those of the EHC at both temperatures. Pitting was not found in the WC-CrC-Ni coating sample, while it did appear in the EHC sample.

The effects of coating parameters were investigated in wear resistance coatings of Diamalloy-406 on Inconel 718 to obtain an optimum coating condition by high velocity oxy-fuel spraying. The coating parameters, the flow rates of source gases (hydrogen and oxygen), the powder feed rate, and the spray distance, were designed by the Taguchi method. The optimal conditions were determined: oxygen flow rate 34 FRM, hydrogen flow rate 57 FRM, powder feed rate 35 g/min, and spray distance 7 inch. Friction coefficients of the coating and the substrate decreased with an increasing sliding surface temperature from 25 oC to 450 oC. The friction coefficient of Diamalloy-4006 coating decreased as the sliding surface temperature increased from 0.43 ± 0.01 at 25 oC to 0.29 ± 0.01 at 450 oC. The wear trace and wear depth of the coating were smaller than the substrate at all temperatures tested. The relationship between spray parameters and wear resistance was discussed extensively, based on the measured roughness, hardness, and porosity in each coating.

20wt%NiCr이 크래드된 크롬카바이드 분말과 7wt%NiCr이 기계적으로 혼합된 크롬카바이드 분말을 이용하여 HVOF 용사된 용사층의 특성(미세조직, 결정상, 경도값 그리고 erosion rate)을 비교하였다. 용사상태의 미세조직강의 특성은 크래드분말의 경우에 primary Cr3C2상이 용사층에는 남아 있었으나 혼합분말의 경우에는 primary Cr3C2 상은 용사층에 거의존재하지 않았다. 또한 XRD 분석결과 두 분말 모두 용사과정에서 크롬카바이드의 분해는 일어났으나 분해율은 크래드분말의 경우가 혼합분말보다 낮았다. 용사상태에서 경도값은 혼합분말의 경우가 높았으며 1000˚C까지 열처리 후 혼합분말의 경도값은 1665까지 증가하였으나 크래드분말은 600˚C를 정점으로 감소하는 경향을 보였다.

수소를 연료로 하여 HVOF 용사된 크롬카바이드 용사층의 산화거동을 이해하기 위해 용사분말의 제조방법이 서로 다른 두 종류의 용사용 분말을 (Cr3C2-20wt%NiCr로 구성된 크래드 분말과 Cr3C2-7wt%NiCr로 구성된 혼합분말)이용하여 F/O비를 3.2, 3.0, 2.8 로 변화시켜 용사한 후, 1000˚C 까지 등온 산화실험 후, 산화특성을 고찰하여 크롬카바이드 용사층의 F/O비에 의존하는 산화거동을 비교 검토하였다. 그 결과 NiCr이 20wt% 크래드된 분말로 용사된 용사층과 NiCr이 7wt% 혼합된 분말로 용사된 용사층은 전혀 다른 산화거동을 보였다. 혼합분말의 경우에 1000˚C에서 50시간 등온산화실험 후, F/O=3.2의 조건인 경우에는 산화물이 표면 요철을 따라 비교적 균일하게 성장한 반면 F/O=3.0과 F/O=2.8의 경우에는 용사층 표면이 다공성의 산화물이 형성되었으며, 또한 Ni, Cr으로 이루어진 복합산화물인 oxide cluster로 성장하였다. 반면에 크래드 분말로 용사된 용사층의표면 산화물 층은 다공성을 변화되지 않았다. 이러한 용사분말의 제조방법에 따라 산화거동이 차이를 보이는 것은 용사 중에 발생하는 카바이드분해와 밀접한 관계가 있는 것으로 생각되며 또한 일반적으로 알려진 크롬카바이드 소결체 보다 산화율이 높았다. 이러한 결과로 볼 때, 환원성의 수소의 양에 따른 용사층의산화거동에 대해서도 연구가 필요할 것으로 생각된다.