Modeling the Influence of Process Parameters and Additional Heat Sources on Residual Stresses in Laser Cladding

In laser cladding thermal contraction of the initially liquid coating during cooling causes residual stresses and possibly cracks. Preweld or postweld heating using inductors can reduce the thermal strain difference between coating and substrate and thus reduce the resulting stress. The aim of this work is to better understand the influence of various thermometallurgical and mechanical phenomena on stress evolution and to optimize the induction-assisted laser cladding process to get crack-free coatings of hard materials at high feed rates. First, an analytical one-dimensional model is used to visualize the most important features of stress evolution for a Stellite coating on a steel substrate. For more accurate studies, laser cladding is simulated including the powder-beam interaction, the powder catchment by the melt pool, and the self-consistent calculation of temperature field and bead shape. A three-dimensional finite element model and the required equivalent heat sources are derived from the results and used for the transient thermomechanical analysis, taking into account phase transformations and the elastic-plastic material behavior with strain hardening. Results are presented for the influence of process parameters such as feed rate, heat input, and inductor size on the residual stresses at a single bead of Stellite coatings on steel.     

Partially amorphous stainless steel coatings: Microstructure, annealing behavior and statistical optimization of spray parameters

A stainless steel powder of a mixed amorphous and crystalline structure was HVOF sprayed in an effort to produce coatings with a large glass fraction. In the first part of this work, the microstructure and annealing behavior of powder and coatings are studied. The coatings consisted of a glassy part and a martensitic part, the latter with boride, borosilicide and boro-carbide dispersions. The annealing behavior of powder and coatings is characterized by glass crystallization and martensite tempering. Annealing of the powder leads to complete microcrystallization of the glassy part, whereas annealing of the coatings eventually leads to nanocrystallization of the residual glass phase. In the second part, the effects of selected spraying parameters (oxygen-to-fuel ratio, powder feed rate, spraying distance and spraying stages) on characteristic coating properties are investigated by means of the Taguchi analysis. The oxygen-to-fuel ratio mostly affected the coating hardness and porosity. The powder feed rate had a significant effect on all the coating properties but mostly on the deposition rate and crack extension force. Spraying in stages significantly increased the deposition rate, whereas it promoted coating amorphicity. A spraying experiment under the optimum conditions determined by the Taguchi analysis, showed a good fit between the predicted and the attained property values.     

Effects of the cladding parameters on the deposition efficiency in pulsed Nd:YAG laser cladding

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the effects of the cladding parameters on the deposition efficiency in cladding of Co alloy powder by a low power pulsed Nd:YAG laser, and to optimize the cladding parameters for maximizing the deposition efficiency. Experiments were designed, conducted and analyzed by the Taguchi experimental method using a L18 orthogonal array. It was found that the powder feed position, powder feed angle, powder feed rate and travel speed had significant effects on the deposition efficiency, but the shielding gas type, laser pulse shape and focal position had nearly no effects. The optimal cladding conditions in the experimental range were obtained at 0 mm of the powder feed position, 50° of the powder feed angle, 0.62 g/s of the powder feed rate and 6.7 mm/s of the travel speed. From the confirmation experiment, the average deposition efficiency of 12.3% was achieved at the optimized cladding conditions as statistically predicted.     

Modeling of Temperature Field Evolution During Multilayered Direct Laser Metal Deposition

It is of great importance to thoroughly explore the evolving temperature fields of direct laser metal deposition (abbreviated as LMD) in vertical thin wall manufacturing. It is helpful to control the temperature gradient, and even to adjust to forming microstructures and accumulation of residual stress. In this paper, a comprehensive three-dimensional transient model is developed for evolving temperature fields. The manufactured material is DS superalloy Rene80. The laser-powder interaction during the powder flowing process is simulated first, and its possible effect on the temperature field of the melting pool is analyzed. Then a 3D numerical simulation for the evolving temperature field is carried out based on considering transport phenomena during LMD such as the change in phase, powder injection and liquid flow. The applied deposition parameters are derived from experimental investigation with optimized vertical wall manufacturing. The simulated results explain why a balance between heat input and dissipation could form inside the vertical thin wall. These reconstruct the instability at an early phase of the building process without any temperature control unit and exhibit the influence of parameters such as laser power, deposition velocity and laser beam deposition pattern. The simulation results of temperature evolution are consistent with experimental investigation.     

Investigations on the Initial Stress Evolution During Atmospheric Plasma Spraying of YSZ by In Situ Curvature Measurement

The residual stresses within plasma-sprayed coatings are an important factor that can influence the lifetime as well as the performance in operation. The investigation of stresses evolving during deposition and post-deposition cooling for atmospheric plasma spraying of yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings using in situ measurement of the samples curvature is a powerful tool for identifying the factors that contribute to stress generation. Under various spray conditions, the first deposition pass leads to a significantly larger increase in samples curvature than the subsequent passes. It is shown in this work that the amount of curvature change at the onset of spraying is significantly influenced by the spray conditions, as well as by the substrate material. More information on the origin of this steep curvature increase at the onset of spraying was obtained by single splat experiments, which yielded information on the splat bonding behavior under various conditions. A comparison of the compressive yield strength for different substrate materials indicated the influence of substrate residual stress relaxation. Residual stress measurements using the incremental hole-drilling method and x-ray diffraction confirmed that the coating deposition affects the substrate residual stress level. The yield strength data were combined with the substrate near-surface temperature during deposition, obtained by finite element simulations, and with the measured residual stress-profile. This revealed that residual stress relaxation is the key factor for the initial curvature increase.     

Microstructure and Sliding Wear Resistance of Laser Cladded WC/Ni Composite Coatings with Different Contents of WC Particle

The aim of this article was to address the effect of WC content on the microstructure, microhardness, and sliding wear resistance of laser cladded WC/Ni composite coatings. The content of WC particle in the feed powder varied in the range of 0-80 wt.%. Experimental results showed that the laser cladded coatings exhibited homogeneous microstructure without pores or cracks. By comparing with the 45# steel substrate, the microhardness of WC/Ni composite coatings was relatively high. The microhardness of coating increased with increasing the content of WC particles. The wear resistance of WC/Ni composite coatings was strongly dependent on the content of WC particle and their microstructure. When the WC content was lower than 40 wt.% in the feed powder, the wear rate of the coatings decreased with increasing WC content. The two-body abrasive wear was identified as the main wear mechanisms. For the coatings with WC content higher than 40 wt.% in the feed powder, their wear rate increased with increasing WC content. The three-body abrasive wear and fatigue wear were the main failures. The coating with 40 wt.% WC in the feed powder exhibited the best wear resistance.     

Parameter optimization for tungsten carbide/Ni-based composite coating deposited by plasma transferred arc hardfacing

Ni-based composite coatings with a high content of tungsten carbides (Stelcar 65 composite coatings) were synthesized by plasma transferred arc (PTA) hardfacing. The welding parameters of Stelcar 65 composite coatings were optimized by orthogonal tests. The PTA welding parameters including welding current, powder feed rate and welding speed have significant influence on the tungsten carbide degradation. The values for the optimum welding current, powder feed rate and welding speed were determined to be 100 A, 25 g/min and 40 mm/min, respectively. The produced WC/Ni-based composite coatings were crack- and degradation-free. The microstructure of deposited layers, as well as the microstructure and microhardness of the optimal coating were further analyzed.     

The Influence of Process Equipment on the Properties of Suspension Plasma Sprayed Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Coatings

Suspension plasma-sprayed YSZ coatings were deposited at lab-scale and production-type facilities to investigate the effect of process equipment on coating properties. The target application for these coatings is solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrolytes; hence, dense microstructures with low permeability values were preferred. Both facilities had the same torch but different suspension feeding systems, torch robots, and substrate holders. The lab-scale facility had higher torch-substrate relative speeds compared with the production-type facility. On porous stainless steel substrates, permeabilities and microstructures were comparable for coatings from both facilities, and no segmentation cracks were observed. Coating permeability was further reduced by increasing substrate temperatures during deposition or reducing suspension feed rates. On SOFC cathode substrates, coatings made in the production-type facility had higher permeabilities and more segmentation cracks compared with coatings made in the lab-scale facility. Increased cracking in coatings from the production-type facility was likely caused mainly by its lower torch-substrate relative speed.     

Nanocrystalline WC-Co HVAF Coatings by Utilizing Novel Powder Manufacturing Route Using Water-Soluble Raw Materials

In this study, nanostructured WC-Co coatings were produced using experimental nanocrystalline WC-12Co and WC-24Co powders produced by a novel chemical synthesis route. Test coatings were produced using HVAF spraying keeping the temperature as low as possible during the deposition in order to avoid decomposition of the nanocarbides. In experimental powders, two different Co incorporation methods were used: a conventional way in which cobalt was incorporated as a metallic Co powder and a chemical synthesis way in which cobalt acetate was used as a cobalt source. When using cobalt acetate, it decomposes to metallic cobalt during the process. Experimental powders in which cobalt acetate has been used as cobalt source resulted poor deposition efficiency. With warmer parameters, powders resulted better DE, but significant WC decarburization and the dissolution into the matrix phase occurred. Powders in which Co has been introduced as Co powder showed enhanced DE enabling spraying with decreased temperature and higher particle velocity, resulting in coatings with less WC decomposition. Especially, an experimental powder in which Co has been incorporated both as Co powder and as Co-Ac results very fine nanocarbide structure with significantly less WC decomposition having a hardness value of 1201 HV0.3, even with 24% Co.     

3D C/SiC复合材料在复杂环境试验中性能演变的两重性

用减压化学气相浸渗法(LPCVI)制备2组3D C/SiC复合材料,其中一组具有不同厚度的PyC界面层,另一组PyC界面层厚度一定,但经过热处理.对C/SiC复合材料在复杂环境中性能演变的两重性,即确定性和随机性进行了研究.结果表明,残余强度及其波动性对评价材料的环境适应性和可靠性是必需的.界面层和涂层是对氧化环境最敏感的微结构控制单元.以敏感度排序,3种环境参数依次是温度、气氛和应力.气氛参数的排序是氧气、水和盐,应力参数的排序是疲劳/蠕变,蠕变和疲劳.应力通过增加涂层裂纹及宽度从而加速复合材料的性能演变.氧化物薄膜有利于涂层裂纹封填,水能促进这种封填,然而疲劳/蠕变应力会使涂层裂纹封填失效.因此包括有氧气、水、疲劳和蠕变的环境是所有环境中最恶劣的.为了使复合材料具有自适应性,PyC的厚度应为最优,以提高热处理的效果;需保持适中的涂层氧化速率,以提高近表面抗氧化性.而适中的氧化速率是由温度和氧化气体分压来控制的.     

无冷却喷涂工艺对其制备的热障涂层的裂纹系统和寿命的影响

无冷却喷涂形成的热障涂层裂纹体系,可提高陶瓷顶层应变容限.但目前缺乏对裂纹体系的系统研究,特别是横向分叉裂纹.因此,文中研究送粉率和基体预热温度对陶瓷顶层裂纹系统的定量影响,并比较不同裂纹系统的热循环寿命.结果表明,增加送粉率,垂直裂纹密度和横向分叉裂纹长度均呈现先大后小的趋势.预热温度的提高可增加涂层中垂直裂纹数量,但横向分叉裂纹长度呈现先增后降的趋势.热循环试验表明,维持一定垂直裂纹的同时,降低横向分叉裂纹可提高涂层热循环寿命.     

Chemical vapor deposition of rhenium on a gourd shaped graphite substrate

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of rhenium coatings on a gourd shaped graphite substrate is studied. Effects of deposition temperature, chlorine flow rate, total pressure and chlorination temperature on deposition rate, yield, morphology and texture of rhenium coating are investigated, respectively. Uniform rhenium coatings have been obtained by using proper combination of deposition conditions at an acceptable deposition rate and yield. The rhenium coatings consist of two sub-layers, i.e., an inner nucleation layer of fine equiaxed grains and an outer layer comprising oriented columnar grains. Although different surface morphologies have been observed, the grains of rhenium coatings are all <002> oriented. The tendency of the preferred orientation <002> is more significant with decreasing surface roughness of the coating.     

Design and optimisation of a multi-powder feed system for the HVOF deposition process

Currently no specific method exists for the deposition of High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) thermal spray functionally graded coatings. This paper investigates the design and optimisation of a multi-powder HVOF thermal spray device in order to deposit aluminium/tool-steel functionally graded coatings. A multi-powder feed device concept was developed. The concept was based on a stand alone two powder chamber device which integrates with common hopper systems to allow the mixing of two powders during thermal spray deposition. This concept was verified by simulation the design of this device for multi-powder flow using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to arrive at the optimum dual feed design. The FEA model predicted the mixing and flow of two powders of various ratios' of mass flow rate and velocity based on an optimum designed shape and pressure ratios' of nitrogen gas in the chamber to pick-up shaft of 2.25:1. This yielded the best results in terms of carrying the powders from the mixing zone into the nitrogen gas flow path, inside the pick-up shaft and on towards the HVOF gun. Post finite element analysis the device was manufactured for the utilisation within the HVOF process. Optimisation tests of the device included; powder flow bench tests and HVOF thermal spraying of graded deposits. The results revealed a calibration graph for the two powders in question and the compositional variation across the deposit during functionally graded deposition. The composition of the graded deposits were close to that anticipated hence this showed the suitability of the newly designed multi-powder deposition system in mixing two powders for the purpose of producing HVOF graded coatings.     

Bonding,Reactivity, and Mechanical Properties of the Kinetic-Sprayed Deposition of Al for a Thermally Activated Reactive Cu Liner

Pure Al coatings were fabricated on Cu substrates via kinetic spraying to produce a thermally activated reactive Cu liner. The coatings need to endure high-strain rate severe plastic deformation and react with oxygen during penetration or after penetration of the liner. In this study, the Al powder underwent large exothermic reactions with a small particle size and fast heating rate, as determined from the differential scanning calorimetric analysis. Process optimization of the Al deposition was facilitated by defining the “critical velocity” of an Al particle in the kinetic spraying process based on numerical modeling and computations using ABAQUS finite element codes. The simulation results revealed that the critical velocity of an Al particle at room temperature (RT) is 780 m/s and it decreases as the particle temperature increases. Certain process conditions resulted in improved coating properties as the temperature of the particles was affected by the process gas temperature and pressure. The mechanical properties such as the bond strength of the coatings formed under various process conditions were evaluated and compared. The relationships between the resulting properties, processing conditions, and the structures of the coatings are discussed.     

Crack formation and its prevention in PVD films on epoxy coatings

Severe cracking was found to occur in PVD titanium films on epoxy powder coatings. After all baking treatments, the epoxy coating had smooth, crack-free surfaces and the cracking of both the titanium film and the epoxy only took place as a result of physical vapour deposition. Tensile cracks were observed in the titanium film and not the compressive cracks expected from the conventional two-layered theoretical model. An alternative model has been developed for the prediction of thermal stress in a three-layered film-epoxy-substrate system. The model is consistent with the experimental trials and showed that cracking originated from thermal stresses developed in the titanium-epoxy-aluminum system due to the PVD process. Tensile instability and cracking were initiated where pores intersected the film-coating interface. The results showed that crack formation could be prevented by increasing the baking temperature to 210 °C. This critical temperature activates full crosslinking in the epoxy structure and raises its strength sufficiently to avoid tensile instability due to residual stress. Crack-free and high-gloss sputtered titanium films could therefore be produced on organic coatings. This offers the potential of a combined in-line PVD-powder coating technology as an alternative to electroplating.     

Influence of the Spray Angle on the Properties of HVOF Sprayed WC–Co Coatings Using (−10 + 2 μm) Fine Powders

The application of fine powders in thermal spray technology represents an innovative approach to apply dense and smooth near-net shape coatings on tools with complex geometry. However, this aim can only be achieved as long as the influence of the handling parameters of the spray process, such as the spray angle, is sufficiently understood. In this study, the influence of the spray angle on the deposition rate as well as on the coating properties (microhardness, roughness, and porosity) of HVOF-sprayed, fine-structured coatings are investigated. A fine, agglomerated, and sintered WC-12Co powder (agglomerate size: 2-10 μm, WC-particle Fisher sub-sieve size = 400 nm) was used as feedstock material. It has been shown that HVOF spraying of fine powders is less susceptible to an alteration of the spray angle than most other thermal spray processes such as plasma- or arc-spraying. The reduction of the spray angle results in a decrease in the deposition rate, while no significant degradation of the coating properties is found up to 30°. However, at spray angles below 30° the coating strength is negatively affected by the formation of pores and cracks.     

Analysis of thermoelastic characteristics for vertical-cracked thermal barrier coatings through mathematical approaches

Thermoelastic characteristics of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with vertical cracks were analyzed through mathematical approaches to investigate the thermoelastic behaviors of TBCs in a service temperature. TriplexPro?-200 system was applied to prepare the relatively dense TBC using METECO 204NS powder. The microstructure of top coat in the TBC was just controlled to create vertical type cracks by reheating without powder feeding in same equipment and rapid cooling process. A couple of governing partial differential equations were derived based on the thermoelastic theory, and a finite volume model was developed to the governing equations to evaluate the thermoelastic characteristics, such as temperature distribution profile, displacement, and stress, inducing a thermal fatigue. For the specimen with two or more vertical type cracks, smaller displacement appears to longitudinal direction and larger displacement to radial direction as the number of crack increases. In the longitudinal stress distribution profiles to z-direction, the tensile stress at the interface between the bond coat and the substrate converts into the compressive stress when the specimen has vertical cracks more than two, while larger magnitude undulation develops for the specimen with smaller number of crack in the radial stress distribution profiles. The results obtained demonstrate that multiple vertical cracks enhance the thermal durability and extend the lifetime of TBCs.     

Development and trends in HVOF spraying technology

Three actual trends in development of HVOF spraying technology are described and discussed. The trends concern application fields as well as gun and feedstock characteristics. At the example of demountable draw bars it is shown that HVOF sprayed cermet coatings are capable to protect light weight material components subject to dynamical load against wear without detraction of fatigue strength. Personnel and production time savings can be exploited. High deposition efficiency at considerable powder feed rate, high density and negligible oxygen content in corrosion protective iron or nickel based coatings is achieved for spraying with newly developed HVOF guns operating at increased combustion chamber pressures. Also spraying of highly reactive materials like titanium under atmospheric conditions becomes feasible. A major obstacle for industrial use of respective coatings is the lack of adapted characterisation methods that permit to ascertain corrosion protective function. Ultrafine powder feedstock is used in order to reduce overall costs of wear protective cermet coatings due to the possibility to finish coatings by comparatively cheap belt grinding. However, it is shown that the replacement of coatings produced with conventional powder size fractions requires careful consideration of the particular tribological system. While cermet coatings produced with ultrafine powders outperform conventional coatings for sliding wear conditions, their capability to withstand dry abrasive wear stress is poor. The benefits concerning coating production costs may be outweighed by significantly decreased component life time.     

Peening action and residual stresses in high-velocity oxygen fuel thermal spraying of 316L stainless steel

316L stainless steel powder was sprayed by a high-pressure high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) process. Effects of powder size and the pressure in the combustion chamber on the velocity and temperature of sprayed particles were studied by using an optical instrument, first, at the substrate position. A strong negative correlation between the particle temperature and the diameter was found, whereas the correlation between the velocity and the diameter was not significant. The pressure in the combustion chamber affected the velocity of sprayed particles significantly, whereas the particle temperature remained largely unchanged. In-situ curvature measurement was employed in order to study the process of stress generation during HVOF spraying. From the measured curvature changes, the intensity of peening action and the resultant compressive stress by HVOF sprayed particles were found to increase with the kinetic energy of the sprayed particles. The results were further used to estimate the stress distribution within the coatings. X-ray stress measurement revealed that the residual stress on the surface of the HVOF coatings is low and often in tension, but the stress inside the coatings is in a high level of compression.