Alumina coatings by plasma spraying of monosize sapphire particles

A series of plasma sprayed coatings of controlled microstructure was obtained by spraying three monosize sapphire powders using an axial injection torch in which the plasma gas composition and nozzle diameter were the only processing parameters varied. The effects of changes in these parameters on the coating splat morphology, porosity, angular crack distribution, and hardness are reported. The uniform, dense microstructure and the high hardness of 14 GPa (a level usually only associated with chromia thermal spray coatings) of the best alumina coatings resulted from using tightly controlled processing conditions and monodispersed precursor powders. The microstructural quality of plasma sprayed coatings and, hence, the coating properties can be improved significantly by minimizing variations in processing and raw material parameters. This paper originally appeared in Thermal Spray: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century; Proceedings of the 15th International Thermal Spray Conference, C. Coddet, Ed., ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 1998. This proceedings paper has been extensively reviewed according to the editorial policy of the Journal of Thermal Spray Technology.     

Microstructural characterization of radio frequency and direct current plasma-sprayed Al2O3 coatings

Microstructures of radio frequency (RF) and direct current (DC) plasma-sprayed Al₂O₃ coatings deposited onto steel substrates were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), polarizing optical microscopy (OM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Because RF and DC plasmas produce different particle heating and acceleration, the morphology, phase structure, and fracture modes of the coatings vary substantially. In the case of RF coatings, a clear lamellar microstructure with relatively thick lamellae was observed, which is due to the large particles and the low particle velocities, with α-Al₂O₃ as the predominant phase and with delamination type of fracture detected on the fracture surface. In contrast, the DC coatings consisted of predominantly metastable γ-Al₂O₃ as well as amorphous phases, with a mixed fracture mode of the coating observed. In spite of limited interfacial interdiffusion detected by EMPA, TEM showed an interfacial layer existing at the interface between the coating and the substrate for both cases. For RF coatings, the interfacial layer on the order of 1 μm was composed of three sublayers, each of which was different in composition and morphology. However, the interfacial layer for the DC coating consisted primarily of an amorphous phase, containing both coating and substrate materials with or without platelike microcrystals; although in some regions a thick amorphous Al₂O₃ layer was in direct contact with the substrate.     

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.     

The characteristics of a low-power-consumption plasma jet and ceramic coatings

The effects of the composition of plasma gases (Ar-N₂, Ar-H₂), arc current, and voltage on the temperature and velocity of a low-power (5 kW) plasma torch in the arc field free region has been investigated using an enthalpy probe. Coatings of Al₂O₃-13TiO₂ were deposited under different conditions. The results show that in the Ar-N₂ plasma, the enthalpy, temperature, and velocity change little with arc current and voltage when regulating the nitrogen proportion in the plasma gas. The hardness of the resulting coatings is 800 to 900 kg/mm² HV.300. For Ar-H₂ plasma, however, increases in the H₂ content in the mixture of the gases remarkably enhanced the velocity and heat transfer ability of the plasma jet, with the result that the coatings showed high hardness up to 1200 HV.     

Al2O3对等离子喷涂热障涂层高温氧化及热震性能的影响

采用等离子喷涂 (PS)在GH5 36高温合金基材上制备了典型的双层热障涂层 (TBCs)和两种分别加入了Al2 O3 陶瓷成分的复合热障涂层。典型的TBCs采用Ni2 2Cr10AlY连接层与 8%Y2 O3 稳定的 (8YPSZ)顶层的双层结构 ;多层涂层分别采用Al2 O3 与Ni2 2Cr10AlY复合的连接层和Al2 O3 与 8YPSZ复合的顶层。3种类型试样的10 0h ,10 0 0℃静态氧化及 10 5 0℃热震试验的结果分析表明 :8YPSZ Al2 O3 的复合氧障层具有最佳的氧化阻力 ;Ni2 2Cr10AlY 8YPSZ双层涂层的热震阻力最佳 ,氧化阻力最差 ;连接层采用Ni2 2Cr10AlY Al2 O3 复合涂层具有热震和静态氧化条件下综合优良的高温热循环性能     

Effects of power level on characteristics of vacuum plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite coating

In this study, hydroxyapatite coatings were obtained with a vacuum plasma spray system at different power levels that were achieved by altering the plasma current and voltage. The effects of spray power level on coating characteristics were investigated. X-ray diffraction was used to identify the crystallinities of as-sprayed coatings, Electron Probe Microanalysis was employed to detect the surface chemical composition of as-sprayed coatings and Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed the microstructure. The results indicated that spray power greatly affected the crystallinity, chemical composition, and microstructure of as-sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings, which were linked to the melting state of hydroxyapatite powder. Presently at School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, Republic of China.     

Development of electrically conductive plasma sprayed coatings on glass ceramic substrates

The production of functional coatings on glass or glass ceramic substrates is of outstanding interest in modern product development due to the specific thermophysical properties of glasses, like low or even negative CTE, low heat conductivity and high dimensional stability. Atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) is an adequate technology for the deposition of a wide variety of materials on glasses and opens new application fields for thermal spraying technology in engineering and consumer industries.Metals are the frequent solution to produce electrically conductive layers in thermal spraying operations. Concerning applications with glass ceramic as a substrate, an intermediate oxide ceramic coating is applied before depositing the metallic layer, so that the distribution of residual stresses in the composite caused during and after the deposition process due to the mismatch in the materials thermophysical properties is minimized. However, the electrical properties required for the developed coatings presented in this paper can be fulfilled using other spraying materials, like mixed phases of oxide ceramics and metal powders, or pure ceramic materials. In this way, mono-layer electrically conductive systems which ensure the required stability and adhesion of the coating can be developed, reducing as well production time and costs.In the proposed approach, the three systems, metal oxide layer-composites, ceramic-metal mixed layers and ceramic mono-layers as conductive coatings on glass ceramics were thermally sprayed with APS. The coatings were characterized in terms of residual stress distribution and electrical conductivity. The influence of the process parameters on the coating electrical and mechanical properties was analyzed using the design of experiments (DOE) methodology.     

Evaporation of zirconia powders in a thermal radio-frequency plasma

Incomplete evaporation of high-melting solid precursors, such as zirconia (ZrO₂), is a major problem in the application of plasma-flash evaporation processes to powder synthesis and production of high performance coatings. The evaporation of zirconia powders injected into a thermal radio-frequency (RF) plasma is investigated by using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) to study evaporation rates and particle velocities. Model calculations are compared with the results of the process diagnostics. Axial emission profiles confirm the influence of the particle size on the evaporation behavior. Line-integrated side-on emission profiles are used to assess the rate of evaporation.     

Microstructural features and properties of plasma sprayed YPSZ/NiCrAlY thermal barrier coating (TBC)

0　IntroductionThermalbarriercoatings(TBCs)arewidelyusedontheturbinebladesforaircraftpropulsionorpowergenerationtoreducethemetallicsubstratetemperature,whichleadstoincreasingengineefficiencyandloweringpollutantemissionsresultingfromallowableincreaseofoperationtemperature[1,2].Today,TBCsareattractingmoreattentionandhavewiderpotentialapplicationstoprotecthightemperaturecomponents.However,thermalbarriercoatingshaveatendencytocrackandspallinserviceduetothermalshockandthermalcyclingbetweenambient…     

炉熔处理对等离子喷涂Ni基WC型自熔合金涂层组织形态的影响

研究了等离子喷涂Ni基WC型自熔合金涂层炉熔处理前后的组织形态。结果表明,经重熔处理后,涂层由富含孔隙,未熔颗粒的层状结构转变为致密的结晶组织结构,涂层与基材由机械咬合结合转变为冶金反应扩散结合,涂层的内聚强度和涂层／基体的结合强度都得以显著改善。涂层的相组成在重熔前后变化不大,均主要由γ-Ni固溶体相,Ni-B(Ni2B),Cr-B(CrB),Ni-Si(Ni5Si2)和WC硬质相等组成,由于等离子喷涂是一种快速凝固工艺,在喷涂态涂层中形成了部分非晶相,经重熔处理后,非晶相发生完全晶化。     

The modeling of coating thickness, heat transfer, and fluid flow and its correlation with the thermal barrier coating microstructure for a plasma sprayed gas turbine application

The plasma sprya deposition of a zirconia thermal barrier coating (TBC) on a gas turbine component was examined using analytical and experimental techniques. The coating thickness was simulated by the use of commercial off-line software. The impinging jet was modeled by means of a finite difference elliptic code using a simplified turbulence model. Powder particle velocity, temperature history, and trajectory were calculated using a stochastic discrete particle model. The heat transfer and fluid flow model were then used to calculate transient coating and substrate temperatures using the finite element method. The predicted thickness, temperature, and velocity of the particles and the coating temperatures were compared with these measurements, and good correlations were obtained. The coating microstructure was evaluated by optical and scanning microscopy techniques. Special attention was paid to the crack structures within the top coating. Finally, the correlation between the modeled parameters and the deposit microstructure was studied. This paper originally appeared in Thermal Spray: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century; Proceedings of the 15th International Thermal Spray Conference, C. Coddet, Ed., ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 1998. This proceedings paper has been extensively reviewed according to the editorial policy of the Journal of Thermal Spray Technology.     

In-flight characteristics of plasma sprayed alumina particles: Measurements,modeling, and comparison

The key phenomena controlling the properties of sprayed coatings are the heat and momentum transfer between the plasma jet and the injected particles. Modern on-line particle monitoring systems provide an efficient tool to measure in-flight particle characteristics in such a way that factors that could affect the coating quality can be identified during the spray process. In this work, the optical sensing device, DPV-2000 from Tecnar, was used for monitoring the velocity, temperature, and diameter of in-flight particles during the spraying of alumina with a Sulzer-Metco F4 plasma torch. Evolution of particle velocity, temperature, diameter, and trajectory showed well-marked trends. Relationships between the position of the in-flight particles into the jet and their characteristics were pointed out, thus delivering valuable information about their thermal treatment. Moreover, a numerical model was developed and predictions were compared with experimental results. A good agreement on particle characteristics was found between the two different approaches.     

新型铝青铜及其喷涂层中Ce元素的作用(英文)

采用一次共装熔炼、砂型铸造Al含量超过Cu-Al二元合金共析点的新型铝青铜合金Cu-14Al-4.5Fe,在45#中碳钢表面制备铝青铜等离子喷涂层。通过扫面电镜、X射线衍射分析、电子探针、透射电镜和显微硬度计分析Ce元素对新型铝青铜合金及喷涂层表面组织形貌和维氏硬度的影响。结果表明:添加0.6%Ce到铸态合金及喷涂层可以使细化的κ相均匀分布于基体,并提高材料硬度。等离子喷涂层快速凝固,保留铝青铜涂层中Fe元素的过饱和固溶体,避免生成(α+γ2)共析相。含Ce喷涂层中的堆垛层错是提高材料力学性能的因素。     

铬锆铜表面等离子喷涂Cr3C2p/NiCr涂层的组织与性能

采用等离子喷涂技术在铬锆铜(CrZrCu)基体表面制备了Cr3C2 p/NiCr涂层。利用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)等仪器研究了涂层的显微组织及结构,采用磨粒磨损试验机对Cr3C2 p/NiCr涂层与电镀NiCo层的磨损性能进行了测试比较。结果表明:涂层组织呈片层状结构,在NiCr合金片层上分布着未熔的Cr3C2和Cr7C3、Cr2Ni3、CrNi析出相。与电镀Ni-Co镀层相比,Cr3C2 p/NiCr涂层具有较高的硬度和耐磨粒磨损性能,其磨损量仅为电镀层的35%。     

Splat microstructure of plasma sprayed cast iron with different chamber pressures

Achieving a plasma sprayed cast iron coating containing graphite requires stringent control on spray parameters that synergistically influence the coating properties and thus the performance. The microstructure of cast iron splats greatly depends on spray parameters such as substrate temperature, chamber pressure, and spray distance. This paper presents the effect of chamber pressure on the splat microstructure, including oxides and graphite. At low chamber pressures, most splats exhibit a disk shape with high flattening ratios, whereas star-shaped splats extensively appear at high chamber pressures. Spraying at high chamber pressures causes the formation of pores and thick oxide zones at the splat/substrate interface, mainly due to the atmospheric gases, which are responsible for a decrease in splat adhesion. Spraying in Ar atmosphere reduces the splat oxidation due to a decrease in the oxygen partial pressure. Small deformed substrate ridges are observed adjacent to the periphery of splats sprayed at low chamber pressures whereas no ridges are detected at high chamber pressures. Ridge formation generates a kind of mechanical bond, which increases the adhesive strength. Since the molten droplets impinge with high velocity and thus high flattening ratio at low chamber pressures, the solidification rate becomes faster, and graphite formation is resultantly hindered.     

热喷涂NiCr/Cr3C2、NiCrCoAlY、涂层的微观组织结构及抗震性能

研究分析了等离子喷涂NiCr／Cr3C2、NiCrCoAlY涂层的微观组织结构，并对2种涂层进行了显微硬度及抗热震性能实验。结果表明：NiCr／Cr3C2涂层的硬度高于NiCrCoAlY涂层．而NiCrCoAlY涂层的抗热震性能优于NiCr／Cr3C2涂层。     

等离子喷涂YPSZ陶瓷梯度涂层的组织与抗热震性能

利用等离子喷涂工艺在汽车铝活塞表面制备了氧化钇部分稳定的氧化锆(YPSZ)陶瓷梯度涂层,用电子扫描显微镜、金相显微镜等手段对涂层从组织形貌、物相、显微硬度和热震性能进行了分析.结果表明:基体与涂层结合紧密;涂层在冷却过程中发生了t-ZrO2→m-ZrO2的相变过程;涂层的热震性能良好,可满足活塞的使用要求.     

Investigation of interfacial properties of atmospheric plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings with four-point bending and computed tomography technique

A modified four-point bending test has been employed to investigate the interfacial toughness of atmospheric plasma sprayed (APS) yttria stabilised zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) after isothermal heat treatments at 1150 °C. The delamination of the TBCs occurred mainly within the TBC, several to tens of microns above the interface between the TBC and bond coat. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the TBC was mainly tetragonal in structure with a small amount of the monoclinic phase. The calculated energy release rate increased from ~ 50 J/m^− 2 for as-sprayed TBCs to ~ 120 J/m^− 2 for the TBCs exposed at 1150 °C for 200 h with a loading phase angle about 42°. This may be attributed to the sintering of the TBC. X-ray micro-tomography was used to track in 3D the evolution of the TBC microstructure non-destructively at a single location as a function of thermal exposure time. This revealed how various types of imperfections develop near the interface after exposure. The 3D interface was reconstructed and showed no significant change in the interfacial roughness after thermal exposure.     

Preparation and characterization of nanostructured Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-13wt.%TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> ceramic coatings by plasma spraying

Nanostructured and conventional Al₂O₃-13wt.%TiO₂ ceramic coatings were prepared by plasma spraying with nanostructured agglomerated and conventional powders, respectively. The microstructure and microhardness of the coatings were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and microhardness measurement. Meanwhile, the friction and wear behaviors were analyzed and compared using a ball-on-disk tribometer. The results show that the conventional coating has lamellar stacking characteristic and has some pores. However, the nanostructured coating shows a bimodal microstructure, which is composed of both fully melted regions and partially melted regions. According to the microstructural difference, the partially melted regions can be divided into liquid-phase sintered regions (a three-dimensional net or skeleton-like structure: Al₂O₃-rich submicron particles embedded in the TiO₂-rich matrix) and solid-phase sintered regions (remained nanoparticles). The microstructural characteristics of the liquid-phase sintered region are formed due to the selective melting of TiO₂ nanoparticles during plasma spraying. On the other hand, the TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ nanoparticles of the solid-phase sintered regions are all unmelted during plasma spraying. Due to the existence of nanostructured microstructures, the nanostructured coating has a higher microhardness, a lower friction coefficient, and a better wear resistance than the conventional coating.