Wear behaviour of thermal flame sprayed FeCr coatings on plain carbon steel substrate

The principle aim of this study is to investigate the wear behaviour of FeCr coatings on Ni-based bond deposited plain carbon steel substrate for several applications in power generation plants. For this purpose, FeCr and Ni-based powders were sprayed on plain carbon steel substrates using a thermal flame spray technique. Fabricated layers were characterized by using a X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), microhardness and surface roughness testers. FeCr coatings were subjected to sliding wear against AISI 303 stainless steel counter bodies under dry and acidic environments. A pin-on-plate type of apparatus was used with normal loads of 49 and 101 N and sliding speed of 1 Hz. XRD results revealed that FeCr, Fe, Cr, Fe–Cr–Ni, γ-Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ phases are exist in the coating. In addition, some inhomogenities such as oxides, porosity, cracks, unmelted particles and inclusions were observed by SEM. The surface morphologies of FeCr samples after wear experiments were examined by SEM and EDS. It was found that friction coefficients of the coatings in dry condition are higher than that in acidic environment.     

Effect of solution concentration on splat formation and coating microstructure using the solution precursor plasma spray process

The Solution Precursor Plasma Spray (SPPS) process had been successfully used to deposit 7YSZ thermal barrier coatings. In this research, the effects of solution precursor concentration on 7YSZ splat formation and coating microstructure are studied. With increasing solution concentration, solution viscosity increases and surface tension decreases. Solution concentration has no effect on precursor pyrolysis and crystallization temperatures. The average atomized droplets size of ∼ 35 μm is the same for low and high concentration solutions. By contrast, splat formation is greatly dependent on precursor concentration. Low concentration precursors experience surface precipitation and lead to shell formation. The deposits consist of semi-pyrolyzed material and result in a soft, porous coating. When the substrate temperature is raised to 450 °C, spongy deposits are formed. High concentration solutions are beneficial for volume precipitation within droplets. Solid particles are formed, melted and form splats on contact with the substrate. The build-up of dense splats provides a dense coating.     

Examination of substrate surface melting-induced splashing during splat formation in plasma spraying

Impacting of a molten droplet with a melting point much higher than the substrate results in melting of the substrate around the impact area. Melting of the substrate surface to a certain depth alters the flow direction of the droplet. The significant change of fluid flow direction leads to the detaching of fluid from the substrate. Consequently, splashing occurs during the droplet-spreading process. In the current study, molybdenum (Mo) splats were formed on a stainless steel substrate under different plasma-spraying conditions. For comparison, Mo splats were also deposited on an Mo surface. The substrate surface was polished prior to deposition. The powders used had a narrow particle size distribution. The results show that the morphology of splats depends significantly on the thermal interaction between the molten particle and the substrate. The splat observed was only a central part of an ideal disk-like complete splat. The typical pattern of Mo splats was of the split type, presenting a small split structure on the surface of the stainless steel substrate. With Mo particles, the preheating of a steel substrate has no effect on splat morphology. On the other hand, a disk-like Mo splat with a reduced diameter of a dimple-like structure at the central area of the splat was formed on Mo substrates, and splashing can be suppressed through substrate preheating. Based on the experimental results, a surface melting-induced splashing model was proposed to explain the formation mechanism of the Mo splat on a steel surface. The influence of droplet condition on splat formation is discussed. 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.     

Effect of substrate hardness on splat morphology in high-velocity thermal spray coatings

In this study, Ni-chrome alloy particles were thermally sprayed onto a variety of substrate materials using the high-velocity air fuel (HVAF) technique. Although the various substrate materials were sprayed using identical powder material and thermal spray conditions, the type and variation of splat morphologies were strongly dependent on the substrate material. Predominantly solid splats are observed penetrating deeply into softer substrates, such as aluminum, whereas molten splats were observed on harder substrates, which resisted particle penetration. The observed correlation between molten splats and substrate hardness could be due a dependency of deposition efficiencies of solid and molten splats on the substrate material. However, it was found that conversion of particle kinetic energy into plastic deformation and heat, dependent on substrate hardness, can make a significant contribution towards explaining the observed behavior. 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.     

Effect of substrate surface temperature on the microstructure and ionic conductivity of lanthanum silicate coatings deposited by plasma spraying

Apatite-type lanthanum silicate shows a high ionic conductivity and low activation energy at intermediate temperature (600-800 °C) compared with Yttria stabilized Zirconia (YSZ). In addition, its excellent stability in a wide oxygen partial pressure range meets the requirement for the electrolyte. Thus it is a potential candidate for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) electrolytes. Moreover, atmospheric plasma spraying is expected to be a promising alternative to other costly or low-deposition rate electrolyte processing methods. However, the amorphous phase and pores existing in the plasma sprayed coatings might impair the stability and the higher ionic conductivity of lanthanum silicate. The present work investigated the effect of substrate surface temperature from 545 °C to 900 °C on the microstructure and ionic conductivity of the lanthanum silicate coating. The crystallinity of as-deposited coatings increased with the increase of substrate surface temperature, whereas the porosity showed a contrary tendency. Ionic conductivity increased about four times with increasing substrate surface temperature, which is related to the low porosity and high crystallinity of coatings. Increasing the substrate surface temperature during plasma spraying is a feasible method to increase ionic conductivity of the lanthanum silicate coatings by reducing the porosity and enhancing the crystallinity.     

Effects of the powder manufacturing method on microstructure and wear performance of plasma sprayed alumina-titania coatings

Three Al₂O₃-13wt.% TiO₂ powders, with the same chemical composition but different Al₂O₃-TiO₂ distribution patterns, are plasma sprayed and the resulting coatings are compared in terms of their phase composition, microstructure, hardness, crack growth resistance, and abrasive wear performance. It is demonstrated that the degree of mixing of the Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ ingredients in the feed powder has immense impact on the phase composition, microstructure, hardness, crack growth resistance, and abrasive wear performance of the coatings. A high degree of mixing of Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ in the powder state results in more uniform microstructure, higher hardness, higher crack growth resistance, and consequently better abrasive wear resistance of the coating.     

Influence of the velocity of plasma-sprayed particles on splat formation

The behavior of individual plasma- sprayed particles as they impinge on a surface was monitored using two high- speed two- color pyrometers, one focused 2 mm before the substrate and the other focused on the substrate surface. The influence of the velocity of the impinging particles (determined from the time of flight between the two focused points of the pyrometers) on the deformation and cooling processes was investigated. Results on zirconia particles impacting on a smooth bare steel substrate are presented in terms of apparent flattening time, splat diameter, and cooling rate determined from the pyrometer signals.     

成分参数对反应火焰喷涂TiC-Fe涂层的影响

以钛铁、石墨和纯铁粉为原料 ,利用反应火焰喷涂技术成功制备了TiC Fe金属陶瓷涂层。研究了成分参数对涂层显微结构 (包括显微组织、形貌和显微硬度 )的影响。结果表明 :Fe含量过低 ,则涂层中含有大量氧化物 ,使涂层自身结合强度显著降低 ;Fe含量过高 ,则使涂层中富TiC片层的显微硬度显著降低 ,也造成涂层的耐磨性能显著降低。原料中C/Ti摩尔比对涂层的显微结构影响不大 ,但适当过量的C/Ti摩尔比会使涂层中贫TiC片层减少 ,从而提高涂层的耐磨性能。     

基板温度对电热爆炸喷涂制备粘结层性能的影响

基板温度分别为室温、100和200 ℃时,采用电热爆炸喷涂技术在IC10合金表面制备NiCoCrAlY合金粘结层.利用扫描电镜(SEM)、能谱仪(EDS)和X射线衍射仪(XRD),对热循环前后的粘结层的组织形貌、化学成分及相进行分析.结果表明,基板温度对电热爆炸喷涂技术所制备NiCoCrAlY合金粘结层有明显的影响,随着基板温度的升高,所制备的粘结层与基体界面结合良好,表面粗糙度减小.在1050 ℃热循环后粘结层表面生成了Al2O3氧化层,起到了保护基体的作用.     

Processing parameter effect on the splat diameters of the droplets produced by liquid metal atomization using De Laval nozzle

Liquid metal atomization with De Laval nozzle is not a widely used technique to produce metallic powders. It appears as a versatile process to manufacture different particle sizes according to the processing parameters (gas pressure, melt nozzle diameter, De Laval nozzle diameter, etc.). However, few studies have focused on the understanding of the different stages of the process. During the atomization process two pressure stages can be distinguished: transition time (pressurization time) and stabilized stage (setting pressure).The aim of the work is to study the effect of the operating parameters on the splat diameter during these two stages. Copper (99.9 at. %) was atomized using different sets of operating parameters on smooth steel substrates. Different splat shapes and mean equivalent diameters are observed and have shown that they depended on both, the atomization parameters and the atomization time.     

几种金属基板上冷喷涂铜涂层的试验与模拟

采用自主研制的冷喷涂设备在三种典型基板上进行喷涂试验,相同的工艺参数下,在铜和铝基板上得到良好的铜涂层,而在钢基板上则没有沉积.实验结果表明:涂层与基板界面、涂层内部颗粒界面结合良好,铜涂层组织致密,显微硬度高达150HV0.1;从涂层表面形貌扫描电镜(SEM)照片中可以观察到射流状的金属,说明颗粒发生了巨大变形,经计算知颗粒在碰撞中压缩率达69%;粉末和涂层的X射线衍射(XRD)结果表明铜粉末在冷喷涂过程中没有发生氧化.同时,数值模拟了铜颗粒与三种基板的碰撞过程,讨论了形成有效结合的判断准则,根据该准则,计算出铜颗粒在铜、铝、钢基板上的临界沉积速度分别为600m/s,500m/s,800m/s,从而解释了铜颗粒在三种基板上不同的沉积行为.     

Effect of long term, high temperature aging on luminescence from Eu-doped YSZ thermal barrier coatings

The use of the luminescence from europium doped yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings for non-contact thermometry has been previously studied up to 850 °C [Choy, K.L. et al., Surface Engineering, 16 [6] (2000) 496] and 1150 °C [M.M. Gentleman and D.R. Clarke, Surface and Coatings Technology, 188-189 (2004) 93]. In this contribution we examine the effect of long-term, high temperature aging and martensitic phase transformation on both the details of the luminescence spectrum and the temperature-dependent lifetime of the luminescence. It is found that even after prolonged aging, the wavelength of the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ emission peak shifts only very slightly with increasing percentage of transformation to the monoclinic phase. Preliminary data suggests that the effect on the decay lifetime up to 1150 °C is very slight, expressed in a slight shift of the onset of thermal quenching to lower temperatures; the slope of the characteristic decay time-constant versus temperature appears relatively unaffected.     

Effect of Cu2+ doping on photocatalytic performance of liquid flame sprayed TiO2 coatings

Cu²⁺ was added to liquid feedstock to deposit ion doping TiO₂ photocatalytic coatings through liquid flame spraying. The coating microstructure was characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic performance of coatings was examined by photodegradation of acetaldehyde. The XRD analysis shows that the crystalline structure of coatings is not significantly influenced by Cu²⁺ doping. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂ coatings is enhanced by Cu²⁺ doping. It is found that a high concentration of Cu²⁺ doping decreases the activity. The XPS analysis shows that the adsorbed oxygen concentration is increased with the increase of Cu²⁺ dopant concentration and decreases with a further increase of dopant concentration. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the adsorption ability of oxygen and other reactants on the surface of doping TiO₂ coatings. 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.     

高温树脂基复合材料防护用轻质陶瓷涂层的制备

研究了采用Ni-3％Al粉末和纯铝、纯锌作为打底材料在碳纤维增强聚酰亚胺复合材料(PMC)基体上制备Al2O3轻质陶瓷防护涂层的可行性,测试了涂层的剪切结合强度和耐热循环性能。结果表明,等离子喷涂Ni-3％Al粉末会对PMC基体造成破坏,不适合于作为PMC基体上的打底材料。电弧喷铝也会对基体造成一定程度的破坏,结合强度和耐热循环性能较低。采用低电压、小电流电弧喷锌,可以获得和基体结合良好打底涂层,涂层剪切结合强度达10．45MPa。在其上制备的Al2O3陶瓷防护涂层耐热循环性能良好。     

An investigation on the microstructure and oxidation behavior of laser remelted air plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings

NiCrAlY bond-coat was coated on Inconel 718 substrate by air plasma spraying (APS) followed by APS ZrO₂-8 wt.%Y₂O₃ as top-coat. Using CO₂ laser of different energy densities, ceramic top-coat surface was remelted. Laser remelting with high energy density (4 J/mm²) produced a dense microstructure over the whole thickness of top-coat, while low energy density (0.67 J/mm²) laser remelting produced a ~ 50 μm thick dense layer on the top-coat surface. It was found that the volume fraction of monoclinic phase decreased from 9% in as-sprayed coating to 4% and 3% after laser remelting with high and low energy density respectively. After isothermal oxidation at 1200 °C for 200 h, the thickness of oxide layer (TGO) in the sample produced by low energy density laser remelting was ~ 5.6 μm, which was thinner than that of oxide layer in as-sprayed (~ 7.6 μm) and high energy density laser remelted (~ 7.5 μm) samples. A uniform and continuous oxide layer was found to develop on the bond-coat surface after low energy density laser remelting. Thicker oxide layer containing Cr₂O₃, NiO and spinel oxides was observed in both as-sprayed and high energy density laser remelted coatings. After cyclic oxidation at 1200 °C for 240 h, the weight gain per unit area of as-sprayed coating was similar to that of high energy density laser remelted coating while a significantly smaller weight gain was found in low energy density laser remelted coating.     

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).     

Transient contact pressure during flattening of thermal spray droplet and its effect on splat formation

The flattening process of an isothermal droplet impinging on flat substrate in plasma spraying is studied numerically using “Marker-And-Cell” technique that enables the evolution of the droplet/substrate dynamic contact pressure. The distributions of the pressures upon substrate surface during flattening are calculated under different droplet conditions. The correlation of the distribution of the peak contact pressure along substrate surface with the observed splat morphology is examined. The results show that the transient contact pressure is initially high and concentrates at a small contacting area and then spreads quickly with droplet flattening. The maximum pressure is located at the front of the droplet at an early stage of deformation, which drives the fluid moving quickly along substrate and results in lateral flow. The contact pressure is mainly associated to droplet density and velocity. The peak pressure reduces monotonically with flattening and becomes negligible at the region where the flattening degree is larger than 2. The magnitude of the pressure resulting from evaporating gas by rapid heating of the adsorbed water on the substrate surface is comparable to that of the dynamic contact pressure at the region where the flattening degree ranges from 1.5 to 2. It is suggested that the reduced contact pressure at the late stage of spreading and disturbance by the evaporation-induced pressure resulting from rapid heating of the surface adsorbents by flattening droplet may contribute significantly to the splashing of flattening droplet and the formation of a reduced disk-like splat.     

Influence of HVOF parameters on the corrosion and wear resistance of WC-Co coatings sprayed on AA7050 T7

Thermal spray WC-based coatings are widely used in the aircraft industry mainly for their resistance to wear, reworking and rebuilding operations and repair of worn components on landing gear, hydraulic cylinders, actuators, propeller hub assemblies, gas turbine engines, and so on. The aircraft industry is also trying to use thermal spray technology to replace electroplating coatings such as hard chromium. In the present work, WC-Co coatings were built up on an AA 7050 aluminum alloy using high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) technology and a liquid nitrogen cooling prototype system. The influence of the spray parameters (standard conditions, W19S, increasing the oxygen flux, W19H, and also increasing the carrier gas flux, W19F) on corrosion, friction, and abrasive wear resistance were also studied. The coatings were characterized using optical (OM) and scanning electron (SEM) microscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The friction and abrasive wear resistance of the coatings were studied using Rubber Wheel and Ball on Disk tests. The electrochemical studies were conducted using open-circuit potential (E_OC) measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Differences among coated samples were mainly related to the variation of the thermal spray parameters used during the spray process. No significant differences were observed in the wear resistance for the coatings studied, and all of them showed a wear rate around 10 times lower than that of the aluminum alloy. The results of mass loss and wear rate were interpreted considering different mechanisms. Comparing the different spray parameters, the oxygen flux (higher flame temperature) produced the sample which showed the highest corrosion resistance in aerated and unstirred 3.5% NaCl solution. Aluminum ions were detected on the surface almost immediately after the immersion of samples W19S and W19F in chloride solution, showing that the electrolyte reached the substrate and galvanic corrosion probably occurred. For sample W19H, aluminum ions were not detected even after 120 min of immersion in NaCl solution.