The effect of plasma spraying power on the structure and mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite deposited onto carbon/carbon composites

This paper deals with the effect of plasma spraying power on hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings on carbon/carbon composites (C/C composites). The microstructure and phase composition of the as-sprayed coatings have been examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The shear strength of the HA coatings–C/C substrates was detected on a RGD-5 tensile testing machine. Results indicate that the melting extent and the shear strength of the coatings were evidently improved with the increasing of spraying power. Moreover, the amount of decomposed phases is increased and the content of crystalline HA of coatings was slightly changed. Observation of fracture surfaces shows that carbon fiber bundles can bond well with HA coatings using 40 kW spraying power.