Dependency of fracture toughness of plasma sprayed Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> coatings on lamellar structure

The fracture toughness of plasma-sprayed Al₂O₃ coatings in terms of critical strain energy release rate G _Ic was investigated using a tapered double cantilever beam (TDCB) approach. This approach makes the fracture toughness be measured only using the critical fracture load disregarding crack length during test. The Al₂O₃ coatings were deposited under different spray distances and plasma powers to clarify the effect of spray parameters on the G _Ic of the coatings. The fracture surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscope. On the basis of an idealized layer microstructure model for thermal sprayed coatings, the theoretical relationship between the cohesive fracture toughness and microstructure is proposed. The correlation between the calculated fracture toughness and observed value is examined. It was found that the fracture toughness of plasma sprayed Al₂O₃ coatings is not significantly influenced by spray distance up to 110 mm, and further increase in spray distance to 130 mm resulted in large decrease in the fracture toughness of the coatings. The G _Ic value predicted based on the proposed model using lamellar interface mean bonding ratio and the effective surface energy of bulk ceramics agreed well with the observed G _Ic data. Such agreement evidently shows that the fracture toughness of thermally sprayed ceramic coatings at the direction along coating surface is determined by lamellar interface bonding.     

On the Self-Affine Fractal Geometry of Plasma-Sprayed Surfaces

Surface roughness strongly controls essential properties of thermally sprayed wear- and corrosion-resistant coatings including their mechanical adhesion to the substrate, tribological performance, efficient retention of lubricating materials, and also the presence of sufficient carrying surface able to support the wear couple along the line of contact expressed by the Abbott-Firestone curve. The determination of the surface fractal geometry may yield useful information on the topography of plasma-sprayed coatings beyond that provided by a single roughness parameter such as R _a or R _z. The fractal geometry of atmospheric plasma-sprayed chromium oxide coatings, deposited according to two different statistical experimental design protocols, was assessed through determination of the Hurst exponent H of fractal Brownian motion (fBM), as well as the area-scaled fractal complexity (ASFC) obtained by triangular tessellation (“patchwork” method). Attempts were made to correlate fractality with coating adhesion strength.     

Microstructure and properties of pLASMA-sPRAYED Mo-Mo2C composites

Thermally sprayed molybdenum coatings are used in a variety of industrial applications, such as auto-motive piston rings, aeroturbine engines, and paper and plastics processing machinery. Molybdenum ex-hibits excellent scuffing resistance under sliding contact conditions. However, plasma-sprayed molybde-num coatings are relatively soft and require dispersion strengthening (e.g., Mo₂C) or addition of a second phase (e.g., NiCrBSi) to improve hardness, wear resistance, and thus coating performance. In this study, Mo-Mo₂C composite powders were plasma sprayed onto mild steel substrates. Considerable decarburi-zation was observed during air plasma spraying—a beneficial condition because carbon acts as a sacrifi-cial getter for the oxygen, thereby reducing the oxide content in the coating. Finer powders showed a greater degree of decarburization due to the increased surface area; however, the starting carbide con-tent in the powder exerted very little influence on the extent of decarburization. The friction properties of Mo-Mo₂C coatings were significantly improved compared to those of pure molybdenum under con-tinuous sliding contact conditions. It also was found that the abrasion resistance of the coatings improved with increasing carbide addition.     

Characterization of mechanical properties of suspension plasma sprayed TiO2 coatings using scratch test

The study aimed at characterizing mechanical properties of TiO₂ coatings obtained by the use of aqueous suspensions of fine rutile and anatase particles onto metal substrates. Thickness of the coatings was found with the use of optical microscope observations of metallographical cross-sections. The coatings morphology was found with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and their phase composition was determined by X-ray diffraction method. The mechanical properties were characterized using scratch test. The test enabled to characterize the adhesion of coatings by determination of critical force necessary to peel off the coatings from the substrate and, on the other hand, to estimate their cohesion by the measurement of the scratch hardness. The hardness was calculated using the width of the scratch and the value of force applied. The design of experiments (DOE) of spraying with the use of a 2³ full factorial plan was applied to rutile powder. The coatings were sprayed onto aluminium substrate. The DOE enabled to find the effects of three principal parameters, i.e. electric power input to plasma, spray distance and suspension feed rate onto coating adhesion expressed by critical force. A preliminary data for anatase powder sprayed with one set of operational parameters onto stainless steel substrate are also shown.     

Correlation of microstructure and high temperature oxidation resistance of plasma sprayed NiCrAl, NiCrAlY, and TiAlO composite coatings on Ti−6Al−4V

In the present study Ni−18Cr−6Al, Ni−22Cr−10Al−1Y and TiAlO composite powders were coated on Ti−6Al−4V substrates by atmospheric plasma spraying, and the coated specimens were evaluated by isothermal and cyclic oxidation resistance tests at 800°C. The oxidation kinetics of the plasma sprayed NiCrAl, NiCrAlY, and TiAlO composite coated specimens obey a parabolic rate law. The oxidation resistance of the plasma sprayed NiCrAl and NiCrAlY coatings is superior to that of plasma sprayed TiAlO composite coating. The best oxidation resistance was observed in the plasma sprayed NiCrAlY coatings. This is mainly attributed to the formation of Y−Al−O complex oxides and Ni₃Al with higher thermal stability on the coatings.     

Untersuchungen zur Ta-Beschichtung von Stahl durch Vakuumplasmaspritzen

Investigations of tantalum coatings on steel by vacuum plasma spraying In this work the possibilities of the production of tantalum coatings by vacuum plasma spraying were investigated. Suitable parameters of the vacuum plasma spraying process were determined, and the quality of vacuum plasma sprayed tantalum coatings was evaluated with regard to chemical composition, adhesion strength, density and corrosion behaviour. To obtain high-quality coatings it was necessary to apply sufficient plasma power as well as an optimal injection of spraying powder into the plasma torch. A complete melting of the tantalum powder particles could not he achieved. The coatings obtained showed a good adhesion strength but a low formability (ductility). The corrosion resistance against HCL and HNO₃ was evaluated by curves of the current density versus potential. With the aid of the passive current density it was determined that the corrosion resistance of the sprayed coatings was not as excellent as of compact tantalum. The increased surface roughness was not significant with respect to the corrosion behaviour. The reduced corrosion resistance could be caused probably by a high oxygen content of the tantalum powder, especially by oxides around individual powder particles. In contrast to tantalum, vacuum plasma sprayed titanium coatings showed the same corrosion resistance as compact titanium under the same testing conditions.     

Synthesis and high-temperature stability of titanium aluminide matrixin situ composites

A premixture of elemental powders of titanium and aluminum was supplied as a spray material for the direct fabrication of titanium aluminide matrixin situ composites by means of reactive low-pressure plasma spraying with a nitrogen and hydrogen mixed plasma gas. The aluminum content varied from 10 to 63 wt.% in the premixtures. The matrix of sprayed layers consisted of three kinds of titanium aluminides—Ti₃A1, TiAl, and TiAl₃—which begin to form on a low-carbon steel substrate immediately after deposition. The formation of nitrides, which act as a reinforcement, occurs both during the flight of liquid droplets and on the substrate. The nitrogen content is approximately 4 to 5 wt.% in the sprayed intermetallic matrix composites, regardless of the aluminum content of the premixtures. The kinds of titanium aluminides andin situ nitrides developed depend on the aluminum content of the premixtures. The homogeneity of the distribution of aluminum and titanium in sprayed intermetallic matrix composites has been improved by vacuum annealing. The predominant TiAl phase that formed in the sprayed intermetallic matrix composites with a Ti-36 wt.% AI premixture increases in quantity through annealing. Although some minor nitrides disappear through annealing, the principal reinforcement, Ti₂AlN, does not decompose, but increases in quantity. The hardness of sprayed intermetallic matrix composites varies with aluminum content of the premixtures, but is always greater than that of sprayed titanium aluminides containing no nitrides. Annealing does not reduce the hardness of sprayed intermetallic matrix composites. Sprayed and annealed intermetallic matrix composites with a Ti-36 wt.% Al premixture maintain their hardness of approximately 500 HV up to 800 K. Hence, reactive low-pressure plasma spraying offers a promising fabrication method for titanium aluminide matrixin situ composites, which are expected to excel in wear resistance applications at elevated temperatures.     

Properties of Cr3C2-NiCr cermet coating sprayed by high power plasma and high velocity oxy-fuel processes

The structure, hardness, and shear adhesion strength have been investigated for Cr₃C₂-NiCr cermet coatings sprayed onto a mild steel substrate by 200 kW high power plasma spraying (HPS) and high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) processes. Amorphous and supersaturated nickel phases form in both as-sprayed coatings. The hardness of the HVOF coating is higher than that of the HPS coating, because the HVOF coating contains more nonmelted Cr₃C₂ carbide particles. On heat treating at 873 K, the amorphous phase decomposes and the supersaturated nickel phase precipitates Cr₃C₂ carbides so that the hardness increases in the HPS coating. The hardness measured under a great load exhibits lower values compared with that measured with a small load because of cracks generated from the indentation. The ratio of the hardnesses measured with different loads can be regarded as an index indicating the coating ductility. The ductility of the HVOF coating is higher than that of the HPS coating. Adhesion strength of the HVOF coating was high compared with the HPS coating. The adhesion of the coatings is enhanced by heat treating at 1073 K, and that of the HVOF coating is over 350 MPa.     

低气压等离子喷涂TiO2涂层结构的研究

本研究分析了在低气压等离子喷涂条件下,TiO_2涂层的结构受等离子弧喷涂过程中氧分解量所影响。氧分解量很大程度上依赖于离子气中氢流量的大小,此外喷涂室压力也有一定影响。而等离子弧功率和喷涂距离对TiO_2涂层的氧分解量没有多大影响。在离子气中氢流量不变的条件下,涂层中Ti_3O_5量随喷涂室压力(从100×133.322Pa至400×133.322Pa)增加而增加。     

Hot isostatic pressing of plasma sprayed Ni-base alloys

This article reports the effects of hot isostatic pressing (HIPing) on the microstructure and properties of plasma sprayed Ni-based alloy coatings. Hot isostatic pressing was used as a post- spray treatment on plasma sprayed Ni-5Al, Ni-20Al, and NiCrAl coatings. The aim was to densify the coatings and modify physical properties such as strength, amount of porosity, and hardness. The coatings were HIPed at 750 to 950 ‡C at pressures of 50 to 200 MPa and held for 1 h. The treated coatings were examined by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Coating porosity was determined using a combination of an image analyzer and SEM. Near- zero porosity levels could be obtained, and HIP treatment at increasing temperatures and pressures changed the microstructure and increased the microhardness of the coatings. Mechanical testing of the coatings was performed on a Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) from ambient to — 1000 ‡C. The results showed that the elastic modulus of HIPed coatings was greater than as-sprayed coatings up to — 750 ‡C. These changes can be related to plastic flow, interlamellar diffusion, and creep that occur at increased temperatures and pressures.     

Characterization of Microplasma Sprayed Hydroxyapatite Coating

Microplasma sprayed (MIPS) HAP coatings on SS316L substrates were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy and image analysis. The coating showed a high degree of crystallinity ~92%, a high porosity level of 20 vol.% and a moderate bonding strength of about 13 MPa. The displacement controlled three-point bend tests and associated results of optical microscopy indicated that crack deflection, crack branching, and also local crack bridging occurred during crack propagation in the coating. The nano-hardness (H) and Young’s modulus (E) of the MIPS-HAP coatings as measured by nanoindentation technique were about 6 and 92 GPa, respectively. The fracture toughness (K _ic) of the coating was ~0.6 MPa·m^0.5. From the nano-scratch experiments, the critical normal load at which localized microcracking led to delamination was measured to be ~400 mN.     

Improvement of wear resistance of plasma-sprayed molybdenum blend coatings

The wear resistance of plasma sprayed molybdenum blend coatings applicable to synchronizer rings or piston rings was investigated in this study. Four spray powders, one of which was pure molybdenum and the others blended powders of bronze and aluminum-silicon alloy powders mixed with molybdenum powders, were sprayed on a low-carbon steel substrate by atmospheric plasma spraying. Microstructural analysis of the coatings showed that the phases formed during spraying were relatively homogeneously distributed in the molybdenum matrix. The wear test results revealed that the wear rate of all the coatings increased with increasing wear load and that the blended coatings exhibited better wear resistance than the pure molybdenum coating, although the hardness was lower. In the pure molybdenum coatings, splats were readily fractured, or cracks were initiated between splats under high wear loads, thereby leading to the decrease in wear resistance. On the other hand, the molybdenum coating blended with bronze and aluminum-silicon alloy powders exhibited excellent wear resistance because hard phases such as CuAl₂ and Cu₉Al₄ formed inside the coating.     

A comparative study of tribological behavior of plasma and D-gun sprayed coatings under different wear modes

In recent years, thermal sprayed protective coatings have gained widespread acceptance for a variety of industrial applications. A vast majority of these applications involve the use of thermal sprayed coatings to combat wear. While plasma spraying is the most versatile variant of all the thermal spray processes, the detonation gun (D-gun) coatings have been a novelty until recently because of their proprietary nature. The present study is aimed at comparing the tribological behavior of coatings deposited using the two above techniques by focusing on some popular coating materials that are widely adopted for wear resistant applications, namely, WC-12% Co, A1₂O₃, and Cr₃C₂-MCr. To enable a comprehensive comparison of the above indicated thermal spray techniques as well as coating materials, the deposited coatings were extensively characterized employing microstructural evaluation, microhardness measurements, and XRD analysis for phase constitution. The behavior of these coatings under different wear modes was also evaluated by determining their tribological performance when subjected to solid particle erosion tests, rubber wheel sand abrasion tests, and pin-on-disk sliding wear tests. The results from the above tests are discussed here. It is evident that the D-gun sprayed coatings consistently exhibit denser microstructures and higher hardness values than their plasma sprayed counterparts. The D-gun coatings are also found to unfailingly exhibit superior tribological performance superior to the corresponding plasma sprayed coatings in all wear tests. Among all the coating materials studied, D-gun sprayed WC-12%Co, in general, yields the best performance under different modes of wear, whereas plasma sprayed Al₂O₃ shows least wear resistance to every wear mode.     

Biocompatible nanostructured high-velocity oxyfuel sprayed titania coating: Deposition, characterization, and mechanical properties

Nanostructured titania (TiO₂) coatings were produced by high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) spraying. They were engineered as a possible candidate to replace hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings produced by thermal spray on implants. The HVOF sprayed nanostructured titania coatings exhibited mechanical properties, such as hardness and bond strength, much superior to those of HA thermal spray coatings. In addition to these characteristics, the surface of the nanostructured coatings exhibited regions with nanotextured features originating from the semimolten nanostructured feedstock particles. It is hypothesized that these regions may enhance osteoblast adhesion on the coating by creating a better interaction with adhesion proteins, such as fibronectin, which exhibit dimensions in the order of nanometers. Preliminary osteoblast cell culture demonstrated that this type of HVOF sprayed nanostructured titania coating supported osteoblast cell growth and did not negatively affect cell viability. This article was originally published inBuilding on 100 Years of Success, Proceedings of the 2006 International Thermal Spray Conference (Seattle, WA), May 15–18, 2006, B.R. Marple, M.M. Hyland, Y.-Ch. Lau, R.S. Lima, and J. Voyer, Ed., ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 2006.     

A Comparative Microstructural Investigation of Nanostructured and Conventional Al2O3 Coatings Deposited by Plasma Spraying

Nanostructured and conventional Al₂O₃ powders have been plasma sprayed to produce coatings. The parameters for retaining a fraction of the nanostructure were investigated. Dissimilarities were observed between the two types of coating, regarding properties and phase proportions, which are related with the different percentages of semimolten particles in the coatings. The nanocoatings retained a higher percentage of semimolten particles than the conventional coatings owing to the higher porosity of the nanoparticle agglomerates. The molten part of both conventional and nanostructured coatings consisted of γ-Al₂O₃ of columnar morphology. In order to investigate the mechanism of the melting front advance into the particle interior, the particles were sprayed directly into deionized water. The nanoparticles mainly formed hollow spheres, whereas the conventional particles mainly formed compact spheres. The internal porosity of the solidified nanoparticle agglomerates, which affected the overall coating porosity and, consequently, coating properties such as hardness, adhesion, and surface roughness, was linked to the hollow sphere phenomenon.     

Fatigue Behavior of Bodies with Thermally Sprayed Metallic and Ceramic Deposits

This paper summarizes the basic results of fatigue testing of bodies with both metallic and ceramic thermally sprayed coatings. Three kinds of ceramic coatings (Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, and olivine) sprayed with DC plasma under identical conditions were investigated together with metallic Ni-5wt.%Al coatings sprayed by wire arc, DC plasma, and HVOF. The elastic modulus of the deposited coatings was investigated using four point bending and resonance method. Bending fatigue tests at resonance frequency were performed with cantilever beam specimens. The processes taking place during the fatigue test are identified and discussed. The morphology of the fracture surfaces was investigated together with microstructure and porosity of the coatings.     

Copper-titanium diboride coatings obtained by plasma spraying reactive micropellets

Electrotribological applications require materials with both high electrical conductivity and wear resisance. For this purpose, a copper- base plasma sprayed coating containing titanium diboride particles was developed. The process for fabricating this CU- TiB₂ coating consists of plasma spraying reactive powders that contain a Cu- Ti alloy and boron. The reaction between the copper alloy and boron proceeds in different steps going from solid- state diffusion of titanium and copper to the synthesis of TiB₂ in a liquid below 1083 ‡C. Plasma sprayed copper coatings contain finer TiB₂ crystals than Cu- TiB₂ materials synthesized in a furnace at 1200 ‡C. Coatings with 25 vol% TiB2 have hardnesses that are comparable to Cu- Co- Be and Cu- Ni- Be alloys and to Cu- W and Cu- Mo alloys used in spot welding. Their low electrical resistivity of 52 ΜΩ cm could be increased by lowering the oxygen content with coatings and controlling the formation of TiB₂ clusters, the titanium content in solution in copper remaining low after the synthesis reaction.     

Particle size effects on chemistry and structure of Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystalline coatings

Gas atomized Al₆₃Cu₂₅Fe₁₂ powders of varying size fractions were plasma sprayed onto hot (~600 °C) and cool (~25 °C) substrates using Mach I and subsonic plasma gun configurations. The chemical composition and phase contents of coatings were determined. Furthermore, coatings were annealed in vacuum at 700 °C for 2 h to observe phase changes. It was found that finer particles (e.g., <25 μm) tend to vaporize Al during spraying, which shifts the coating composition away from the quasicrystalline (ψ) single-phase region in the Al-Cu-Fe phase diagram. Coatings deposited on hot substrates were denser, richer in theψ phase, and harder than the corresponding coatings deposited onto cool substrates.     

Microstructure and Properties of HVOF-Sprayed WC-(W,Cr)<Subscript>2</Subscript>C-Ni Coatings

The composition WC-(W,Cr)₂C-Ni is one of the standard compositions used for the preparation of thermally sprayed coatings by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying. Surprisingly, this composition has been poorly investigated in the past. Frequent use of commercial designations WC-‘CrC’-Ni, WC-Cr₃C₂-Ni, and WC-NiCr indicates the insufficient knowledge about the phase compositions of these powders and coatings. The properties of these coatings differ significantly from those of WC-Co and WC-CoCr coatings. In this paper, the results of different series of experiments conducted on HVOF-sprayed WC-(W,Cr)₂C-Ni coatings are compiled and their specific benefits pointed out. The focus of this study is on the analysis of the microstructures and phase compositions of the feedstock powders and coatings. Unlike WC-Co and Cr₃C₂-NiCr, WC-(W,Cr)₂C-Ni is not a simple binary hard phase—binder metal composite. The phase (W,Cr)₂C with unknown physical and mechanical properties appears as a second hard phase, which is inhomogeneously distributed in the feedstock powders and coatings. As examples of coating properties, the oxidation resistance and dry sliding wear properties are compared with those of WC-10%Co-4%Cr coatings.     

Void Formation and Spatial Distribution in Plasma Sprayed Nd-Fe-B Coatings

Formation of voids is inevitable in plasma sprayed coatings and the role of voids on coating properties has long been established. In fact, the void content within coatings is adjusted by optimizing the process parameters to obtain coatings with desirable performance. Quantification of voids via image analysis allows determination of not only the void content within a coating, but also the spatial distribution of the voids. Void content in plasma sprayed neodymium iron boron (Nd-Fe-B) coatings was adjusted by changing the standoff distance, and was found to vary from 1.8 to 8.2%. Spatial distribution parameters, which include nearest neighbor distance (d _min), mean near neighbor distance (d _mean), and nearest neighbor angle (θ_n), were determined via the Dirichlet tessellation method. Coefficient of variation (COV) values of d _min and d _mean allow determination of inhomogeneity and degree of clustering of the voids within a coating. The θ_n values reveal the anisotropic behavior of voids within plasma sprayed coatings. The influence of void content and its spatial distribution within the coatings on the microhardness and elastic modulus of coatings was determined.