Issued October 2000 Supersedes May 1970

TM

Metco 405 Nickel Aluminide Wire

Technical Bulletin #10-008

Metco 405 Nickel Aluminide Wire

Metco 405 Nickel Aluminide Wire was especially developed to be a better self-bonding material than molybdenum wire, particularly with regard to bond strength. In addition, it has many applications as a single coat system where dense coatings, resistant to oxidation, high temperatures and temperature changes, are required. Metco 405 Wire is chemically similar to Metco 404 Nickel Aluminide Powder and, like 404, undergoes an exothermic reaction during spraying. Also, like 404, it produces coatings which are dense and resistant to oxidation, high temperatures and temperature changes. The exothermic reaction of Metco 405 Wire derives from its chemical composition. When the wire reaches a certain temperature in the spray gun flame, the nickel and aluminum react to form nickel aluminide and evolve a great deal of heat. It is thought that the extra heat provided to the molten particles by the exothermic reaction, coupled with the high particle velocity of the Metco metallizing process, account of the self-bonding characteristics of the coating and its exceptional strength, both perpendicular and parallel to the substrate.

Equipment
Metco 405 Wire can be sprayed with most Metco Flame Spray Guns. It cannot be sprayed with the Metco Types 5E and 7E Guns, since these high-speed units cannot be slowed down to the 21/2 - 31/2 feet-per-minute feed rate required. Whenever a Type KT or Type XT Extension is used, a special angular air cap, Cat. No. KT 6-1/8T or XT 6-1/8T, is required.

Applications
Metco 405 Wire was developed to replace Sprabond Wire for bonding. It is better than Sprabond; it provides the user with better coatings at lower cost. Coatings sprayed with 405 show bond strengths up to 4230 psi, as compared with a little more than 2000 psi for coatings of Sprabond.

Typical Composition
Nickel Aluminum 80% 20%

Physical Properties
Coating texture, as-sprayed: Coarse Tensile strength: 18,000 psi (perpendicular to the direction of spraying)

#10-008

Metco 405 Nickel Aluminide Wire

Typical hardness:

Rc 22 Coatings of Metco 405 Wire are considerably harder than coatings of Metco 404 Powder. This is because the nickel aluminide phase contained in the wire coating is almost exclusively the harder NiAl, whereas the powder coating contains about as much (35 - 40%) of the relatively soft Ni3A1 as it does of the hard NiA1. 6.0 Laboratory tests indicate that coatings of Metco 405 Wire are equivalent in wear resistance to coatings of Sprabond Wire, but are not equivalent in anti-galling properties. Not recommended for corrosion resistance in aqueous solutions of acidic, basic or neutral salts.

Density: Wear resistance:

Corrosion resistance:

Bonding Data
Tensile Strength of Bond vs. Overcoat Material (SAE 1020 Substrate) Overcoat Material Bonding Material Sprabond Wire Metco 405 Wire Handbook Values - psi Average psi - (5 tests) Sprasteel 10 Sprasteel LS Metcoloy #1 Metco Aluminum Metco SF Aluminum Metco 201 Powder Tensile Strength of Bond vs. Substrates Substrate Hardened Die Steel AISI 302 SAE 1113 Titanium Nitrided Steel Bond Strength - Average psi - (5 tests) (Metcoloy #2 Overcoat) 2950 3050 3400 3150 2790 2150 2250 1640 2050 3150 3060 2775 2230 2550 1380

The best way to describe the performance of 405 as a bond coat material is by saying that it is at least equal to 404 applied with a ThermoSpray Gun. Tests show an average tensile bond strength of 3000 psi, with a range of 2000 - 4000 psi. The highest figure obtained in test on a ground substrate
#10-008 Metco 405 Nickel Aluminide Wire 3

The internal strength of 405 coatings is higher than Sprabond coatings, parallel to the base material, as well as perpendicular to it. In the past, Sprabond Wire has always been the weakest element in a composite base-plus-Sprabond-plus-top coat system. With 405 this is not the case. Here, the difference in strength is of the order of about 18,000 psi versus approximately 7,5000 psi. The bond is subsequent coating materials is better with 405 than with Sprabond. This is especially true with top coats of Sprababbitt A, which require a rough surface for best bond. The texture of 405 coatings is generally coarser than normally applied coatings of Sprabond. Considerable skill and experience is required to produce a Sprabond coating coarse enough to permit good bond with babbitt, so much so that many operators apply a coat of Metcoloy between the Sprabond and the Sprababbitt A to provide a rougher surface. None of this is necessary to assure a good bond between 405 and subsequent coats. Metco 405 is easier to apply, since it requires less precise control of coating thickness. The advantage of 405 is that if the coating runs a little thicker, say up to .006, the finished job will be stronger, whereas every thousandth of Sprabond over the recommended maximum thickness tends to make the finished job weaker, since the Sprabond itself is weaker. A major advantage of 405 over Sprabond is the fact that strong, sound, reliable and reproducible coatings can be sprayed without dependence on technique. For instance, nozzle-to-work distance should be kept between 5 - 6" with 1/8" Sprabond, but good bond strength results when nozzle-to-work distance is anywhere between 2 - 8" with 405. The wire feed with Sprabond must be very slow, but 405 is sprayed at about the same speed as the Sprasteels. Gas flows and air pressure are not critical for the successful spraying of 405: they are critical with Sprabond. Metco 405 is considerably more versatile than Sprabond. For one thing it can be sprayed with propane, while Sprabond cannot. Metco 405 will bond reliably to base materials such as nitrided steel, to which Sprabond does not bond. In general 405 bonds to all materials to which 404 Powder will bond. It will self-bond satisfactorily to ground surfaces of the following materials: Low Carbon Steels Hardened Die Steel Stainless Steel Nitrided Steel Titanium Cast Iron SAE 1020, SAE 1113 Oilgraph (Rc 58) AISI Type 302 Nitralloy G Unalloyed ASTM A48-56

Reliable self-bonding of Metco 405 Wire has not been achieved on copper, molybdenum, tantalum, columbium or tungsten. Self-bonding tensile strengths somewhat lower than normal for Metco 405, but still considered to be reliable, were obtained on aluminum, brass and Kovar. Considerable experience since the release of Metco 404 Powder has indicated that both Metco 404 Powder and Metco 405 Wire behave similarly when sprayed on aluminum substrates.

#10-008

Metco 405 Nickel Aluminide Wire

Metco 405 coatings are rough and readily lend themselves to subsequent coats of other materials. The following representative materials have been successfully applied to coatings of Metco 405: Metcoloy #1 Sprabronze AA Sprasteel 10 Metcoloy #2 Metco SF Aluminum Metco 201 Metco Aluminum Sprasteel LS

Metco 405 cannot be used under fused hard-facing alloys. Metallographic examination of Metco 405 coatings show that the self-bonding phenomenon is due to a discontinuous thin alloy or diffusion layer. The bond of the subsequent layers is due to the normal physical mechanisms. All substrate cleaning procedures used for Sprabond Wire bonding are necessary for Metco 405 Wire. Severe substrate oxidation should be removed. The substrate should be preheated to prevent the formation of condensate. The best bond is obtained if the bonding coat is applied in one pass. Metco 405 comes level wound on a disposable reel, which is further packaged in a corrugated carton. This package offers sufficient protection for the wire during shipping and general handling. However, when the wire itself is handled, as in spraying, care must be taken not to sharply bend or kink it. This may cause internal damage (some external damage may also occur) which, in most cases, results in the wire spitting during spraying. Special rear wire guides, to prevent sharp bending of the wire, are available.

Spraying
Because of the bright flame, eye protection should always be worn when spraying Metco 405 Wire. Lighting Air Pressure Pres. Fuel Psi Oxy. Gas 65 41 12 55 35 30 55 40 35 65 55 55 60 50 50 65 60 60 26 43 41 38 46 40 42 40 8 35 39 12 37 40 15 37 Flow Meter Readings Fuel Oxy. Gas 34 29 49 20 40 23 46 68 69 42 62 59 48 69 65 33 30 30 34 28 31 39 29 33 Consumption Oxy. Fuel Cu. Gas Ft. Cu. Ft. 75 27 107 19 89 23 90 170 170 92 155 146 112 169 29 30 31 32 28 32 41 29
5

Gun 4E

Fuel Gas Acet Prop MAPP

Wire Size+ 1 /8" 1 /8" 1 /8"

Air Cap Size H H H C* C* C* C D D C D D

Air 49 45 46 49 47 46 45 38 38 61 59

Metal Lbs. 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

8E

Acet 1/8" Prop 1/8" MAPP 1/8" Acet 1/8" Prop 1/8" MAPP 1/8" Acet 1/8" Prop 1/8" MAPP 1/8"

#10-008

Metco 405 Nickel Aluminide Wire

*Do not use the EC Air Cap. +Use special rear wire guide Cat. No. 8E 162 when using Metco 4E and 8E Guns. NOTE: Use adapter fittings for MAPP and Propane Gases. Recommended bond coat thickness for optimum bond: .004 - .006". Approximate Deposit Efficiency: 75% Coverage: 119 sq.ft./hour .001" thick. Wire Required: .042 lbs/sq.ft./.001" thick. Coating Weight: .0312 lbs/sq.ft./.001" thick. Spraying Distance: The spraying distance should be from 4 - 6" for the best results. The spraying distance is not as critical with Metco 405 Wire as it is with Metco 404 Powder. Good bond strengths have been achieved at 2" as well as 8". Wire Spraying Speed: 3 1/2 ft/min. is recommended. This rate is slightly lower than that for 1/8" diameter Sprasteel and Metcoloy Wires. At three feet per minute the position of the molten rounded tip is back in the air cap approximately 1/16" and does not change substantially within the given speed range. NOTE: Because of the vivid glow caused by the exothermic reaction, colored goggles must be worn to be able to see the wire tip and adjust the speed correctly. An easy way to adjust for proper spraying speed, without measuring the feed rate per minute, is to bring the molten tip even with the front of the air cap and then back off about ten clicks on the speed control ring. Metco 405 is considerably more convenient to handle than Sprabond, since it is so much less stiff and springy. This makes it much easier to handle on the wire control unit, and much easier to manipulate the gun while spraying into corners. As far as cost savings are concerned, one of the biggest cost factors known is job failure, which usually means bond failure. Metco 405 reduces the chance of bond failure to the absolute minimum. Another item of cost in connection with Sprabond arises from the common practice of cutting three or four foot lengths of wire off the coil. This is done for ease of handling, since Sprabond is so stiff and hard to handle. The practice results in a lot of unusable wire ends which can only be thrown away. This cost is completely eliminated by 405, which is pliable and easy to handle. Metco 405 is less expensive to use since it sprays at normal steel wire speeds, with no time or wire wasted adjusting to a slow speed for the bond coat and then speeding up the gun to spray the top
#10-008 Metco 405 Nickel Aluminide Wire 6

coat - and with a savings also in wear and tear on the gun speed control parts. Another cost savings lies in the greater ease of handling and storing, resulting from the comparative lightness of 405. For instance, five pounds of 1/8" 405 is the same length as ten pounds of 1/8" Sprabond, and the coating produced is lighter too, by about 20%.

Precautions
There is no tendency for spontaneous initiation of the exothermic reaction. Precautions should be taken when starting to spray Metco 405 Wire. Any excess tip that flies off remains red hot slightly longer than usual. It may be a potential fire hazard.

The information provided in this document is for the convenience of Sulzer Metcos 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.

#10-008

Metco 405 Nickel Aluminide Wire