Abstract: The wear lifetime of 3C_r13stainless steel coating prepared by high velocity arc spraying was investigated on a T-11 tribo-tester under various loads. The coupling relationship between the load and wear lifetime of coatings was obtained. The effect of load on wear mechanisms of the coatings was analyzed by examining worn morphologies of coatings. The results showed that the data of the wear lifetime were highly scattered under low load and the main wear mechanisms of coating were pitting and spalling. However, at high load, the data of the wear lifetime were less scattered and delamination was the main failure mechanism of coatings.