Examination of a grit-blasting process for thermal spraying using statistical methods

An experimental study was conducted to develop an understanding of how the grit blasting process, prior to plasma spray coating, affects various properties of the substrate and coatings. A statistical design of experiment approach was used and the results were analyzed using both the linear regression method and average response of factors calculations. The following process variables were studied: grit size (20, 36, 54), blasting pressure (20, 35, 50 psi), blasting duration (4, 6, 8 passes), blasting distance (4, 6 in.), and blasting angle (45°, 90°). Properties such as bond strength, grit contamination, surface roughness, and substrate distortion were evaluated and correlated to the process variables. Based on multiple linear regression results, it was shown that the bond strength can be improved by increasing all of the parameters within the range studied here. No relationship between the surface roughness and bond strength was observed. Grit contamination is mostly influenced by grit size, blasting pressure, and number of blasting passes. The average response method provided indications to the direction of modifying the required properties as a function of process variables. While the average response method agreed mostly with the linear regression predication, some differences are further discussed in the study.