Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2O3-Cr2O3 composite coatings produced by atmospheric plasma spraying

Al₂O₃, Al₂O₃-Cr₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ coatings were deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying. Phase composition of powders and as-sprayed coatings was determined by X-ray diffraction. Electron probe microanalyzer was employed to investigate the polished and fractured surface morphologies of the coatings. Mechanical properties including microhardness, fracture toughness and bending strength were evaluated. The results indicate that the addition of Cr₂O₃ is conducive to the stabilization of α-Al₂O₃. Compared with the pure Al₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ coatings, Al₂O₃-Cr₂O₃ composite coatings show lower porosities and denser structures. Heterogeneous nucleation of α-Al₂O₃ occurs over the isostructural Cr₂O₃ lamellae and partial solid solution of Al₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ might be occurring as well. Furthermore, grain refining and solid solution strengthening facilitate the mechanical property enhancement of Al₂O₃-Cr₂O₃ composite coatings.     

An evaluation of Al2O3-ZrO2 composites produced by coprecipitation method

The objective of this work is to produce Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ composite from nano-sized powders processed by coprecipitation method. Al₂O₃ and mixture of Al₂O₃ + 10 wt.% ZrO₂ precipitated successfully by chemical route from aluminum sulfate and zirconium sulfate were pressed under uniaxial compression of 170 MPa and sintered at 1600 °C for 1 h. SEM investigations revealed that, pure alumina sample has a microstructure with coarse grains which anisotropically grown up to 30-40 μm in size. In alumina-zirconia composite, the structure consists of very fine equiaxed grains of typically 2 μm in which zirconia precipitates were uniformly dispersed. By adding zirconia to alumina, hardness and indentation fracture toughness were increased from 11.6 GPa to 16.8 GPa and from 3.2 MPa m^1/2 to 4.9 MPa m^1/2, respectively. Improvement in fracture toughness was attributed to bridging effects of zirconia particles as well as transformation toughening.     

Microstructure and tribological behavior of suspension plasma sprayed Al2O3 and Al2O3-YSZ composite coatings

Several alumina and alumina-zirconia composite coatings were manufactured by suspension plasma spraying (SPS), implementing different operating conditions in order to achieve dense and cohesive structures. Temperatures and velocities of the in flight particles were measured with a commercial diagnostic system (Accuraspray®) at the spray distance as a function of the plasma operating parameters. Temperatures around 2000 °C and velocities as high as 450 m/s were detected. Hence, coatings with high amount of α-alumina phase were produced. The microstructure evolution according to the spray parameters was studied as well as the final tribological properties showing efficient wear resistance.     

TiN/Cr/Al2O3 and TiN/Al2O3 hybrid coatings structure features and properties resulting from combined treatment

New experimental results are presented on the structure and the elemental and phase composition of hybrid coatings, which were deposited on a substrate of AISI 321 stainless steel using a combination of plasma-detonation, vacuum-arc and subsequent High-Current Electron Beam (HCEB) treatment. We found that an increase in energy density intensified mass transfer processes and resulted in changes in aluminum oxide phase composition (γ → α and β → α). Also we observed the formation of a nanocrystalline structure in Al₂O₃ coatings. Electron beam treatment of a hybrid coating surface induced higher adhesion, decreased the intensity of surface wear and increased corrosion resistance in a sulphuric acid solution. The corrosion resistance of the coatings was studied in several electrolytic solutions (0.5 M H₂SO₄, 1 M HCl, 0.75 M NaCl) using electrochemical techniques. In most cases the corrosion resistance was improved, except those in NaCl solutions. The nano-hardness of the protecting coating was 13 GPa before electron beam melting and 9 GPa after it (as a result of TiN and Al₂O₃ sub-layers mixing).     

Microstructure and electrical properties of Y(NO3)3·6H2O-doped ZnO-Bi2O3-based varistor ceramics

Y(NO₃)₃·6H₂O-doped ZnO-Bi₂O₃-based varistor ceramics were prepared using a solid reaction route. The microstructure, electrical properties, degradation coefficient (D_V), and dielectric characteristics of varistor ceramics were studied in this paper. With increasing amounts of Y(NO₃)₃·6H₂O in the starting composition, Y-containing Bi-rich, Y₂O₃, and Sb₂O₄ phases were formed, and the average grain size decreased. Results also showed that with the addition of 0.16 mol% Y(NO₃)₃·6H₂O, Y(NO₃)₃·6H₂O -doped ZnO-based varistor ceramics exhibit comparatively better comprehensive electrical properties, such as a threshold voltage of 425 V/mm, a nonlinear coefficient of 73.9, a leakage current of 1.78 μA, and a degradation coefficient of 1.7. The dielectric characteristics and lightning surge test also received the same additional content of Y(NO₃)₃·6H₂O. The results confirmed that doping with rare earth nitrates instead of rare earth oxides is very promising route in preparing high-performance ZnO-Bi₂O₃-based varistor ceramics.     

Microstructural analysis of YSZ and YSZ/Al2O3 plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings after high temperature oxidation

Air plasma sprayed TBCs usually include lamellar structure with high interconnected porosities which transfer oxygen from YSZ layer towards bond coat and cause TGO growth and internal oxidation of bond coat.The growth of thermally grown oxide (TGO) at the interface of bond coat and ceramic layer and internal oxidation of bond coat are considered as the main destructive factors in thermal barrier coatings.Oxidation phenomena of two types of plasma sprayed TBC were evaluated: (a) usual YSZ (yttria stabilized zirconia), (b) layer composite of (YSZ/Al₂O₃) which Al₂O₃ is as a top coat over YSZ coating. Oxidation tests were carried out on these coatings at 1100°C for 22, 42 and 100h. Microstructure studies by SEM demonstrated the growth of TGO underneath usual YSZ coating is higher than for YSZ/Al₂O₃ coating. Also cracking was observed in usual YSZ coating at the YSZ/bond coat interface. In addition severe internal oxidation of the bond coat occurred for usual YSZ coating and micro-XRD analysis revealed the formation of the oxides such as NiCr₂O₄, NiCrO₃ and NiCrO₄ which are accompanied with rapid volume increase, but internal oxidation of the bond coat for YSZ/Al₂O₃ coating was lower and the mentioned oxides were not detected.     

Microstructure and composition analysis in plasma sprayed coatings of Al2O3/ZrSiO4 mixtures

Plasma spraying of Al₂O₃/ZrSiO₄ was performed using spray dried and plasma spheroidised powder feedstock. The mixtures were sprayed using different spray stand-off distances and plasma power levels. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) was used to characterise the phase composition and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examined the morphology of the sprayed surface and polished cross-sections. The results showed that the plasma spray process parameters played an important role in the final outcome of microstructures of the coatings. The coatings produced with spheroidised powders displayed a much denser structure than those produced with the spray-dried powders. The phase composition analysis showed the presence of amorphous phases in addition to crystalline alumina, zircon and tetragonal (t) zirconia (ZrO₂). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that amorphous phases and t-ZrO₂ crystals with particle size 100–200 nm could coexist within a single splat due to the relatively low local cooling rate.     

Mechanical and tribological performance of Al2O3-TiO2 coatings elaborated by flame and plasma spraying

Mechanical properties and wear rates of Al₂O₃-13 wt.% TiO₂ (AT-13) and Al₂O₃-43 wt.% TiO₂ (AT-43) coatings obtained by flame and atmospheric plasma spraying were studied. The feed stock was either ceramic cords or powders. Results show that the wear resistance of AT-13 coatings is higher than that of AT-43 and it seems that the effect of hardness on wear resistance is more important than that of toughness. Additionally, it was established that, according to conditions used to elaborate coatings and the sliding tribological test chosen, spray processes do not seem to have an important effect on the wear resistance of these coatings.     

Nb-Cr掺杂原位合成Al2O3/TiAl复合材料的组织与性能

采用原位热压工艺,在Ti-Al-TiO2-Nb2O5体系中加入Cr2O3原位合成Al2O3/TiAl复合材料.借助X射线衍射分析、SEM分析及力学性能分析,研究了Nb-Cr掺杂复合强化Al2O3/TiAl复合材料的反应过程、微观结构及力学性能.结果表明Nb-Cr掺杂原位合成Al2O3/TiAl复合材料能够细化晶粒并通过微合金化增强增韧TiAl复合材料.     

Sintering characteristic of Al2O3-reinforced 2xxx series Al composite powders

Sintering characteristic of Al₂O₃-reinforced 2xxx series Al composite powders was investigated in order to obtain enhanced densification. In order to confirm the effect of the ceramic phase, Al composite powder, AMB 2905 (Al–3.2Cu–1.0Mg–5.0Al₂O₃), was used as the starting powder. Al blended powder, AMB 2712 (Al–3.8Cu–1.0Mg), was also used for comparison. The sintered density of the blended powder was about 93% of the theoretical value at 620 °C. The sintered density of the composite powder was about 95% at 630 °C. A small decrease in the density of each powder caused by swelling was observed after holding time of 10 min at the sintering temperature. After 20 min, the density slightly increased. The diffusion of the liquid phase was faster in the composite powder sintered specimen than in the blended powder sintered specimen. The liquid phase is thought to have infiltrated into the spaces between ceramic agglomerates. The results show that a greater amount of liquid phase is needed to enhance the sinterability of 2xxx series Al composite materials.     

Sintering effect on electrical properties of ZnO-V2O5-MnO2-Nb2O5 ceramics

The microstructure and electrical properties of quaternary ZnO-V₂O₅-MnO₂-Nb₂O₅ ceramics were investigated at different sintering temperature (875-950 °C). The average grain size increased from 4.4 μm to 9.6 μm with increasing sintering temperature. The breakdown field decreased from 6991 V/cm to 943 V/cm with increasing sintering temperature. Proper sintering for quaternary ZnO-V₂O₅-MnO₂-Nb₂O₅ ceramics led to surprisingly high nonlinear coefficient (50). The donor concentration increased from 3.33 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ to 7.64 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ with increasing sintering temperature and the barrier height exhibited the maximum value (1.07 eV) at 900 °C.     

Formation of Al2O3-Bi4Ti3O12 nanocomposite oxide films on low-voltage etched aluminum foil by sol-gel processing

A water-based bismuth titanate Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ (BTO) sol was synthesized by mixing bismuth nitrate, tetra-n-butyl titanate, lactic acid, acetic acid and distilled water. The sol was applied to low-voltage etched aluminum foil by dip-coating. The crystallization process of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ on low-voltage etched aluminum foil was measured by thermal gravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) and high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD). It was found that Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ sol first converted into intermediate phase Bi_1.74Ti₂O_6.624, then transformed into perovskite phase Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂. After annealed at 600 °C for 30 min in air, the low-voltage etched aluminum foil covered with Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ sol was anodized galvanostatically in 15 wt.% ammonium adipate solution. The voltage-time variation during anodizing was monitored and recorded. The structure and composition of samples were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). Results showed that the anodic composite oxide film was composed of an inner Al₂O₃ layer and an outer Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ layer. The specific capacitance and the product of specific capacitance and withstanding voltage of samples with a BTO coating were about 56.64% and 43.77% larger than that without a BTO coating.     

Microstructure and magnetic properties of Co/Al2O3 nanocomposite powders

Nanocomposite powders of magnetic cobalt nanoparticles dispersed by nonmagnetic Al₂O₃ particles have been prepared by planetary ball milling. Ball milling of the CoO and Al mixture powder after a certain milling duration reduces CoO to (fcc and hcp) Co completely and oxidizes Al to -Al₂O₃ simultaneously. The average grain sizes of the nanocomposite powders are 19 nm for Co and 28 nm for -Al₂O₃ after the completion of the reduction reaction. By direct ball milling of the mixture of Co and Al₂O₃, the allotropic phase transformation of Co was observed and the average grain size of Co is reduced to 5 nm. For both the samples of the mechanochemical series and the direct milling series, the saturation magnetizations of the nanocomposite powders decrease with decreasing average grain size of Co. This may be due to the enhancement of the interface effects and the increase of the superparamagnetic particles with decreasing Co grain size. The coercivities of the Co/Al₂O₃ nanocomposite powders increase up to 380 Oe. The increasing grain boundaries with decreasing Co grain size result in the domain wall pinning which predicts the coercivity enhancement. In addition to the grain size effects, the reduction of the particle size toward the size region of single domain also contributes to the increase of coercivity.     

Fe3Ai纳米粒子增强A12O3陶瓷的制备及性能

用热压烧结法制备了纳米Fe3Al粒子增强Al2O3基复合材料.研究了1 450～1 600 ℃不同烧结温度下纳米Fe3Al的加入量与材料的致密度、力学性能及显微结构的关系.结果表明纳米Fe3Al的加入可使Al2O3晶粒的生长受到抑制, 使复合材料的烧结温度提高.Fe3Al/Al2O3纳米复合材料有良好的力学性能, 其抗弯强度最高可达832 MPa, 断裂韧性最高可达7.96 MPa*m1/2.     

Al3Ti和Al2O3增强铝基复合材料的XD合成

通过XD(Exothermic Dispersion)法原位反应生成Al2O3与Al3Ti复合增强的铝基复合材料,结果表明Al/TiO2经充分混合、挤压成坯后,在真空炉中以一定的升温速率加热至1 073     

Bulk WC-Al2O3 composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

WC and WC-Al₂O₃ materials without metallic binder addition were densified by spark plasma sintering in the range of 1800-1900 °C. The densification behavior, phase constitution, microstructure and mechanical properties of pure WC and WC-Al₂O₃ composite were investigated. The addition of Al₂O₃ facilitates sintering and increases the fracture toughness of the composites to a certain extent. An interesting phenomenon is found that a proper content of Al₂O₃ additive helps to limit the formation of W₂C phase in sintered WC materials. The pure WC specimen possesses a hardness (HV₁₀) of 25.71 GPa, fracture toughness of 4.54 MPa·m^1/2, and transverse fracture strength of 862 MPa, while those of WC-6.8 vol.% Al₂O₃ composites are 24.48 GPa, 6.01 MPa·m^1/2, and 1245 MPa respectively. The higher fracture toughness and transverse fracture strength of WC-6.8 vol.% Al₂O₃ are thought to result from the reduction of W₂C phase, the crack-bridging by Al₂O₃ particles and the local change in fracture mode from intergranular to transgranular.     

In-situ TiB2 and Al2O3 formation by DC plasma spraying

In-situ plasma spraying (IPS) is a promising process to fabricate composite coatings with in-situ formed thermodynamically stable phases. In the present study, mechanically alloyed Al-12Si, B₂O₃ and TiO₂ powder was deposited onto an aluminum substrate using atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). It has been observed that, during the coating process, TiB₂ and Al₂O₃ are in-situ formed through the reaction between starting powders and finely dispersed in hypereutectic Al-Si matrix alloy. Also, obtained results demonstrate that in-situ reaction intensity strongly depends on spray conditions.     

Mechanical properties of the plasma-sprayed Al2O3/ZrSiO4 coatings

The mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed Al₂O₃/ZrSiO₄ coatings were investigated by indentation-based techniques. Two types of feedstock were used to prepare the coatings: spray-dried powders and plasma-spheroidized powders. A 100-kW direct current (d.c.) thermal plasma system was employed. The values obtained were found to exhibit a close relationship with the microstructure of the as-sprayed coatings, which composed of zircon, alumina, amorphous silica and tetragonal zirconia. The coatings produced with plasma-spheroidized powders had higher microhardness, Young's modulus and fracture toughness than that produced with the spray-dried powders. The coatings produced with plasma-spheroidized powders by a 100-kW computerized system at 15 kW of net plasma energy had the best mechanical properties, while those deposited at 19 kW of net plasma energy had the worst properties due to the high density of cracks in the coatings.     

搅拌摩擦加工制备纳米RE/Al2O3增强铝基复合材料

铝基复合材料因其优异的物理性能及机械性能已得到广泛应用.文中通过在2219-O铝合金内部添加不同比例的RE/Al₂O₃纳米粉末,利用搅拌摩擦加工技术,制备铝基复合材料.并对搅拌区进行金相、拉伸、硬度、SEM,EDS和XRD等试验.结果表明,搅拌区金属在搅拌头强烈的搅拌摩擦作用下发生显著的塑性变形和连续动态再结晶,形成细小的等轴晶粒,并具有明显的洋葱环组织.复合材料的抗拉强度为母材的163%、屈服强度为母材的195%,同时硬度也明显增加.但是不同稀土比例对金属基复合材料的组织形貌和力学性能影响不大.大块复合材料制备过程粉末添加及隧道型缺陷的控制是关键.     

Examination of wire electrical discharge machining of Al2O3p/6061Al composites

Alumina particle reinforced 6061 aluminum matrix composites (Al₂O₃p/6061Al) have excellent physical and chemical properties than those of a traditional metal; however, their poor machinability lead to worse surface quality and serious cutting tool wear. In this study, wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) is adopted in machining Al₂O₃p/6061Al composite. In the experiments, machining parameters of pulse-on time were changed to explore their effects on machining performance, including the cutting speed, the width of slit and surface roughness. Moreover, the wire electrode is easily broken during the machining Al₂O₃p/6061Al composite, so this work comprehensively investigates into the locations of the broken wire and the reason of wire breaking.The experimental results indicate that the cutting speed (material removal rate), the surface roughness and the width of the slit of cutting test material significantly depend on volume fraction of reinforcement (Al₂O₃ particles). Furthermore, bands on the machined surface for cutting 20 vol.% Al₂O₃p/6061Al composite are easily formed, basically due to some embedded reinforcing Al₂O₃ particles on the surface of 6061 aluminum matrix, interrupt the machining process. Test results reveal that in machining Al₂O₃p/6061Al composites a very low wire tension, a high flushing rate and a high wire speed are required to prevent wire breakage; an appropriate servo voltage, a short pulse-on time, and a short pulse-off time, which are normally associated with a high cutting speed, have little effect on the surface roughness.