Synthesis behavior of nanocrystalline Al-Al2O3 composite during low time mechanical milling process

In this work, four different volume fractions of Al₂O₃ (10, 20, 30 and 40 vol.%) were mixed with the fine Al powder and the powder blends were milled for 5 h. Scanning electron microscopy analysis, particle size analysis and bulk density measurements were used to investigate the morphological changes and achieving the steady state conditions. The results showed that increasing the Al₂O₃ content can provide the steady state particle size in 5 h milling process. It was found that increasing the volume fraction of Al₂O₃ leads to increasing the uniformity of Al₂O₃. Standard deviations of microhardness measurements confirmed this result. The XRD pattern and XRF investigations depicted that increasing the Al₂O₃ content causes an increase in the crystal defects, micro-strain and Fe contamination during 5 h milling process of nanocrystalline composite powders while the grain size is decreased. To investigate the effect of milling time, Al-30 vol.% Al₂O₃ (which achieved steady state during 5 h milling process) was milled for 1-4 h. The results depicted that the milling time lower than 5 h, do not achieve to steady state conditions.     

Al2O3-nanodiamond composite coatings with high durability and hydrophobicity prepared by aerosol deposition

We attempted the room-temperature fabrication of Al₂O₃-based nanodiamond (ND) composite coating films on glass substrates by an aerosol deposition (AD) process to improve the anti-scratch and anti-smudge properties of the films. Submicron Al₂O₃ powder capable of fabricating transparent hard coating films was used as a base material for the starting powders, and ND treated by 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (PFOTES) was added to the Al₂O₃ to increase the hydrophobicity and anti-wear properties. The ND powder treated by PFOTES was mixed with the Al₂O₃ powder by ball milling to ratios of 0.01 wt.%, 0.03 wt.%, and 0.05 wt.% ND. The water contact angle (CA) of the Al₂O₃-ND composite coating films was increased as the ND ratio increased, and the maximum water CA among all the films was 110°. In contrast to the water CA, the Al₂O₃-ND composite coating films showed low transmittance values of below 50% at a wavelength of 550 nm due to the strong agglomeration of ND. To prevent the agglomeration of ND, the starting powders were mixed by attrition milling. As a result, Al₂O₃-ND composite coating films were produced that showed high transmittance values of close to 80%, even though the starting powder included 1.0 wt.% ND. In addition, the Al₂O₃-ND composite coating films had a high water CA of 109° and superior anti-wear properties compared to those of glass substrates.     

Thermal sprayed stainless steel/carbon nanotube composite coatings

Stainless steel/carbon nanotube (SS/CNT) composite coating was prepared by thermal spray from the feedstock powder synthesized by chemical vapor deposition at a synthesis temperature and time of 800 °C and 120 min under ethanol atmosphere. Microstructural investigation by TEM and SEM revealed that grown CNTs covering the surface of stainless steel particles were multi-walled type with an average diameter of about 44 nm. Microstructures of pure stainless steel and SS/CNT composite coatings similarly showed splat characteristic and lamellar structure. Incorporation of CNTs was clearly observed in the composite coating. Hardness of SS/CNT composite coating (480 ± 36 HV_0.3) was higher than that of pure stainless steel coating (303 ± 33 HV_0.3). Coefficient of friction of the SS/CNT coating was almost 3 times lower than that of stainless steel coating which resulted in reduction of sliding wear rate of nearly 2 times. This research thus demonstrated a new composite coating with better wear resistive performance compared to a coating deposited by commercially available stainless steel powder.     

Proposal of self-healing coatings for nuclear fusion applications

Avoiding cracks in ceramic coatings is one of the most important problems to be solved for the thermally sprayed tritium permeation barriers in fusion reactor. In this paper, a self-healing composite coating composed of TiC + mixture (TiC/Al₂O₃) + Al₂O₃ was developed to address this problem. The coating was deposited on certain martensitic steel by plasma spraying. The morphology and phase of the coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) while the porosity was analyzed by using Image Pro software. The thermal shock resistance test and residual stress measurement of the coating were also performed. In the experiment, NiAl + TiC + mixture (TiC/Al₂O₃) + Al₂O₃ and mixture (TiC/Al₂O₃) + Al₂O₃ films were also fabricated and studied respectively. The results showed that the TiC + mixture (TiC/Al₂O₃) + Al₂O₃ coating exhibited the best mechanical integrity and self-healing ability among the three samples with the porosity decreased by 90% after heat-treatment under normal atmosphere. The oxidation/expansion of TiC in the coating played an important role in the sealing of pores. This self-healing coating made by thermal spraying is proposed as a good candidate for tritium permeation barrier in fusion reactors.     

A facile method for fabrication of nano-structured Ni-Al2O3 graded coatings: Structural characterization

Powder charges of micron-size Ni and Al₂O₃ were utilized to deposit nano-structured Ni-Al₂O₃ composite coatings on an aluminum plate fixed at the top end of a milling vial using a planetary ball mill. Composite coatings were fabricated using powder mixtures with a wide range of Ni/Al₂O₃ mass ratio varying from 1:1 to plain Ni. XRD, SEM and TEM techniques were employed to study the structural characteristics of the coatings. It was found that the composition of the starting mixture strongly affects the Al₂O₃ content and the microstructure of the final coating. Mixtures containing higher contents of Al₂O₃ yield higher volume fractions of the Al₂O₃ particles in the coating. Though Ni-Al₂O₃ composite coatings with about 50% of Al₂O₃ particles were successfully deposited, well-compacted and free of cracks and/or voids coatings included less than 20% (volume fraction) of Al₂O₃ particles which were deposited from powder mixtures with Ni/Al₂O₃ mass ratios of 4:1 or higher. Moreover, mechanical and metallurgical bondings are the main mechanisms of the adhesion of the coating to the Al substrate. Finally, functionally graded composite coatings with noticeable compaction and integrity were produced by deposition of two separate layers under identical coating conditions.     

Intermediate temperature tribological behavior of carbon nanotube reinforced plasma sprayed aluminum oxide coating

Tribological behavior of plasma sprayed carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) composite coatings was examined at room temperature, 573 K and 873 K using tungsten carbide (WC) ball-on-disk tribometer. The weight loss due to wear of Al₂O₃ coating was found to be increasing with the temperature while Al₂O₃-CNT coating showed a decreasing trend in the weight loss with the temperature. Relative improvement in the wear resistance of Al₂O₃-CNT coating compared to Al₂O₃ coating was found to be 12% at room temperature which gradually increased to ∼ 56% at 573 K and ∼ 82% at 873 K. Protective layer as a result of tribo-chemical reaction was observed on the wear track of both of the coatings. The improvement in the wear resistance of Al₂O₃-CNT coating was attributed to three phenomena viz. (i) higher hardness at the elevated temperature as compared to Al₂O₃ coating, (ii) larger area coverage by protective film on the wear surface at the elevated temperature and (iii) CNT bridging between splats. The coefficient of friction (COF) of Al₂O₃ coating was nearly constant at room and elevated temperature whereas COF for Al₂O₃-CNT coating decreased at the elevated temperature (873 K).     

B4C/Ni Composite Coatings Prepared by Cold Spray of Blended or CVD-Coated Powders

In this work, the microstructures of B₄C/Ni coatings by cold spray with blends or chemical vapor deposited (CVD) Ni-coated powders were investigated and compared. Powder blends with Ni powder and fine or coarse B₄C powders were prepared for various B₄C content ranging from 54 to 87?vol.% (equal to 25-65?wt.%). Three CVD Ni-coated B₄C powder batches were also synthesized with various B₄C content using the fine B₄C as core particles. Ni-coated powders and both types of cold sprayed coating microstructures with blends or coated powders were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Further quantitative image analysis was carried out on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images to measure the B₄C content within the coating regarding the influence of the nominal content in the feedstock for each coating type. Both types exhibited fine fragments and unfragmented B₄C, but coatings with CVD-coated powders had many more unfragmented particles. Moreover, the higher levels for both B₄C (44.0?±?4.1?vol.%) and coating microhardness (429?±?41 HV_0.5) were obtained in case of the CVD-coated powders. However, it was assessed that the highest microhardness was not obtained for the highest B₄C content. This questionable result is discussed with regard to the fully original composite microstructure obtained from CVD Ni-coated B₄C powder.     

Effect of Feedstock Size and its Distribution on the Properties of Detonation Sprayed Coatings

The detonation spraying is one of the most promising thermal spray variants for depositing wear and corrosion resistant coatings. The ceramic (Al₂O₃), metallic (Ni-20 wt%Cr) , and cermets (WC-12 wt%Co) powders that are commercially available were separated into coarser and finer size ranges with relatively narrow size distribution by employing centrifugal air classifier. The coatings were deposited using detonation spray technique. The effect of particle size and its distribution on the coating properties were examined. The surface roughness and porosity increased with increasing powder particle size for all the coatings consistently. The feedstock size was also found to influence the phase composition of Al₂O₃ and WC-Co coatings; however does not influence the phase composition of Ni-Cr coatings. The associated phase change and %porosity of the coatings imparted considerable variation in the coating hardness, fracture toughness, and wear properties. The fine and narrow size range WC-Co coating exhibited superior wear resistance. The coarse and narrow size distribution Al₂O₃ coating exhibited better performance under abrasion and sliding wear modes however under erosion wear mode the as-received Al₂O₃ coating exhibited better performance. In the case of metallic (Ni-Cr) coatings, the coatings deposited using coarser powder exhibited marginally lower-wear rate under abrasion and sliding wear modes. However, under erosion wear mode, the coating deposited using finer particle size exhibited considerably lower-wear rate.     

Effect of heat treatment on the intermetallic layer of cold sprayed aluminum coatings on magnesium alloy

Dense and thick pure aluminum coatings were deposited on AZ91D-T4 magnesium substrates using the cold spray process. Heat treatments of the as-sprayed samples were carried out at 400 °C using different holding times. The feedstock powder, substrate and coating microstructures were examined using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) as well as Vickers microhardness analysis. The results demonstrate that aluminum coatings having dense and uniform microstructure can be deposited successfully using a relatively large feedstock powder. It has been identified that the intermetallics Al₃Mg₂ (γ phase) and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ (β phase) were formed at the coating/substrate interface during heat treatment. The growth rate of these intermetallics follows the parabolic law and the γ phase has a higher growth rate than the β phase. The thickness of the Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and Al₃Mg₂ intermetallic layers has reached 83 μm and 149 μm, respectively. This result is almost 45% higher than what has been reported in the literature so far. This is attributed to the fact that T4 instead of as cast Mg alloy was used as substrate. In the T4 state, the Al concentration in the Mg matrix is higher, and thus intermetallic growth is faster as less enrichment is required to reach the critical level for intermetallic formation in the substrate. The AZ91D-T4 magnesium substrate contains single α phase with fine clusters/GP-zones which is considered beneficial for the intermetallic formation as well as the intimate contact between the coating/substrate interface and the deformed particles within the coating.     

Development of multimaterial coatings by cold spray and gas detonation spraying

The basic objective is the development of multifunctional multimaterial protective coatings using cold spraying (CS) and computer controlled detonation spraying (CCDS).As far as CS is concerned, the separate injection of each powder into different zones of the carrier gas stream is applied. Cu-Al, Cu-SiC, Al-Al₂O₃, Cu-Al₂O₃, Al-SiC, Al-Ti and Ti-SiC coatings are successfully sprayed. As to CCDS, powders are sprayed with a recently developed apparatus that is characterized by a high-precision gas supply system and a fine-dosed twin powder feeding system. Computer control provides a flexible programmed readjustment of the detonation gases energy impact on powder thus allowing selecting the optimal for each component spraying parameters to form composite and multilayered coatings. Several powders are sprayed to obtain composite coatings, specifically, among others, WC-Co-Cr + Al₂O₃, Cu + Al₂O₃, and Al₂O₃ + ZrO₂.     

Effect of the suspension composition on the microstructural properties of high velocity suspension flame sprayed (HVSFS) Al2O3 coatings

Seven different Al₂O₃-based suspensions were prepared by dispersing two nano-sized Al₂O₃ powders (having analogous size distribution and chemical composition but different surface chemistry), one micron-sized powder and their mixtures in a water + isopropanol solution. High velocity suspension flame sprayed (HVSFS) coatings were deposited using these suspensions as feedstock and adopting two different sets of spray parameters.The characteristics of the suspension, particularly its agglomeration behaviour, have a significant influence on the coating deposition mechanism and, hence, on its properties (microstructure, hardness, elastic modulus). Dense and very smooth (Ra ~ 1.3 μm) coatings, consisting of well-flattened lamellae having a homogeneous size distribution, are obtained when micron-sized (~ 1-2 μm) powders with low tendency to agglomeration are employed. Spray parameters favouring the break-up of the few agglomerates present in the suspension enhance the deposition efficiency (up to > 50%), as no particle or agglomerate larger than ~ 2.5 μm can be fully melted. Nano-sized powders, by contrast, generally form stronger agglomerates, which cannot be significantly disrupted by adjusting the spray parameters. If the chosen nanopowder forms small agglomerates (up to a few microns), the deposition efficiency is satisfactory and the coating porosity is limited, although the lamellae generally have a wider size distribution, so that roughness is somewhat higher. If the nanopowder forms large agglomerates (on account of its surface chemistry), poor deposition efficiencies and porous layers are obtained.Although suspensions containing the pure micron-sized powder produce the densest coatings, the highest deposition efficiency (~ 70%) is obtained by suitable mixtures of micron- and nano-sized powders, on account of synergistic effects.     

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.     

Al2O3-ZrO2 mixed oxide composite incorporated aluminium rich zinc coatings for high wear resistance

Corrosion resistance and wear resistance are the two important parameters for high performance of zinc galvanic coating. In the present work, the improvement of these two characteristics was achieved by the incorporation of Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ mixed oxide composite in the coating. Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ mixed oxide composite was synthesized from ZrOCl₂·8H₂O. Aluminium rich zinc coatings with high sliding wear resistance was developed from a galvanic bath containing the mixed oxide. Based on the performance of the coating during physicochemical and electrochemical characterization, the concentration of mixed oxide composite in the bath was optimized as 0.50 wt% Al₂O₃-0.50 wt% ZrO₂. While rich in Al-metal content in the coating caused high corrosion resistance, the incorporation of the mixed oxide improved structural characteristics of the coating resulting in high wear resistance also. The coating was nonporous in nature and even the interior layers had high stability. The coatings have potential scope for high industrial utility.     

Phase constituents and microstructure of laser cladding Al2O3/Ti3Al reinforced ceramic layer on titanium alloy

Laser cladding of the Fe₃Al + TiB₂/Al₂O₃ pre-placed alloy powder on Ti-6Al-4V alloy can form the Ti₃Al/Fe₃Al + TiB₂/Al₂O₃ ceramic layer, which can greatly increase wear resistance of titanium alloy. In this study, the Ti₃Al/Fe₃Al + TiB₂/Al₂O₃ ceramic layer has been researched by means of electron probe, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and micro-analyzer. In cladding process, Al₂O₃ can react with TiB₂ leading to formation of amount of Ti₃Al and B. This principle can be used to improve the Fe₃Al + TiB₂ laser cladded coating, it was found that with addition of Al₂O₃, the microstructure performance and micro-hardness of the coating was obviously improved due to the action of the Al-Ti-B system and hard phases.     

Cyclic oxidation behavior and thermal barrier effect of YSZ-(Al2O3/YAG) double-layer TBCs prepared by the composite sol-gel method

Novel YSZ (6 wt.% yttria partially stabilized zirconia)-(Al₂O₃/YAG) (alumina-yttrium aluminum garnet, Y₃Al₅O₁₂) double-layer ceramic coatings were fabricated using the composite sol-gel and pressure filtration microwave sintering (PFMS) technologies. The thin Al₂O₃/YAG layer had good adherence with substrate and thick YSZ top layer, which presented the structure of micro-sized YAG particles embedded in nano-sized α-Al₂O₃ film. Cyclic oxidation tests at 1000 °C indicated that they possessed superior properties to resist oxidation of alloy and improve the spallation resistance. The thermal insulation capability tests at 1000 °C and 1100 °C indicate that the 250 μm coating had better thermal barrier effect than that of the 150 μm coating at different cooling gas rates. These beneficial effects should be mainly attributed to that, the oxidation rate of thermal grown oxides (TGO) scale is decreased by the “sealing effect” of α-Al₂O₃, the “reactive element effect”, and the reduced thermal stresses by means of nano/micro composite structure. This double-layer coating can be considered as a promising TBC.     

Fabrication of A356 composite reinforced with micro and nano Al2O3 particles by a developed compocasting method and study of its properties

Aluminum/alumina composites are used in automotive and aerospace industries due to their low density and good mechanical strength. In this study, compocasting was used to fabricate aluminum-matrix composite reinforced with micro and nano-alumina particles. Different weight fractions of micro (3, 5 and 7.5 wt.%) and nano (1, 2, 3 and 4 wt.%) alumina particles were injected by argon gas into the semi-solid state A356 aluminum alloy and stirred by a mechanical stirrer with different speeds of 200, 300 and 450 rpm. The microstructure of the composite samples was investigated by Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Also, density and hardness variation of micro and nano composites were measured. The microstructure study results revealed that application of compocasting process led to a transformation of a dendritic to a nondendritic structure of the matrix alloy. The SEM micrographs revealed that Al₂O₃ nano particles were surrounded by silicon eutectic and inclined to move toward inter-dendritic regions. They were dispersed uniformly in the matrix when 1, 2 and 3 wt.% nano Al₂O₃ or 3 and 5 wt.% micro Al₂O₃ was added, while, further increase in Al₂O₃ (4 wt.% nano Al₂O₃ and 7.5 wt.% micro Al₂O₃) led to agglomeration. The density measurements showed that the amount of porosity in the composites increased with increasing weight fraction and speed of stirring and decreasing particle size. The hardness results indicated that the hardness of the composites increased with decreasing size and increasing weight fraction of particles.     

Preparation and oxidation resistance of a crack-free Al diffusion coating on Ti22Al26Nb

A crack-free Al diffusion coating has been developed to improve the oxidation resistance of Ti22Al26Nb. It was produced by a two-step method; an Al film was deposited on the substrate alloy by arc ion plating followed by a diffusion process conducted at 873 K in pure Ar to form the Al diffusion coating. The two-step method lowers the temperature required to form the diffusion coating, which dramatically decreases the thermal stress developed in the coating and results in it being crack-free. The oxidation resistance of the non-coated Ti22Al26Nb alloy in isothermal and cyclic tests in air at 1073 K was poor, but the coated specimens possessed excellent oxidation resistance because a protective α-Al₂O₃ scale formed. The life of the Al diffusion coating greatly depends upon the rapid initial formation of a protective Al₂O₃ scale and interdiffusion between coating and substrate. Once the stable Al₂O₃ scale has formed and the composition changes from (Ti, Nb)Al₃ into (Ti, Nb)Al₂, the coating has a long life.     

The influence of Al2O3 reinforcement on the properties of stainless steel cold spray coatings

The effect of Al₂O₃ additions to type 316 austenitic stainless steel cold spray coatings was studied. Adding Al₂O₃ to the feedstock powder increased the overall deposition efficiency, though the Al₂O₃ itself deposited less efficiently than the stainless steel. Shear testing of the coatings using a shear lug test revealed a change in fracture from cohesive to adhesive with increasing alumina addition. The corrosion behaviour, assessed using anodic polarisation tests of the coatings, showed a shift towards the polarisation behaviour of bulk stainless steel with Al₂O₃ additions. All of these changes in coating behaviour with Al₂O₃ additions suggest an improved degree of metallurgical bonding, likely due to increased plasticity in the stainless steel particles.     

Structural Analysis of Cold-Sprayed Nickel-Based Metallic and Metallic-Ceramic Coatings

Powder type and composition have a very important role in the production of metallic and metallic-ceramic coatings by using the low-pressure cold spray process. Furthermore, structure and mechanical properties of Cu and Cu + Al₂O₃ coatings are strongly influenced by powder characteristics of Cu particles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different particle types of Cu powder and different compositions of added Al₂O₃ particles on the microstructure, fracture behavior, denseness, and mechanical properties, i.e., hardness and bond strength. Spherical and dendritic Cu particles were tested together with 0, 10, 30, and 50 vol.% Al₂O₃ additions. Coating denseness and particle deformation level increased with the hard particle addition. Furthermore, hardness and bond strength increased with increasing Al₂O₃ fractions. In the comparison between different powder types, spherical Cu particles led to the denser and less oxide-contenting coating structure due to the highly deformed particles.     

Phase evolution and dendrite growth in laser cladding of aluminium on zirconium

Aluminium was laser clad on a pure zirconium substrate using the blown powder method. The microstructure across the laser-clad coating was studied. Starting from the bottom to the top surface of the coating, a series of phase evolutions had occurred: (Zr) → (Zr) + AlZr₂ + AlZr₃ → Al₄Zr₅ + Al₃Zr₂ → Al₃Zr₂ + AlZr₂ → Al₂Zr → Al₂Zr + Al₃Zr. This resulted in an epitaxial columnar crystal growth at the re-melt substrate boundary, a band of backward growth Al₃Zr₂ dendrites towards the lower half of the coating, and a two-phase eutectic dendritic growth of Al₂Zr + Al₃Zr towards the top of the coating. The evolution of the various phases and microstructures is discussed in conjunction with the Al-Zr phase diagram, the criteria for planar interface instability, and the theory of eutectic growth under rapid solidification conditions (the TMK model).