Abstract
HVOF thermal spraying has been developed to deposit dense Al2O3-coatings with improved protective properties for various applications. Nanocrystalline coatings have been found to offer better thermal shock resistance, lower thermal conductivity and better wear resistance than their conventional counterparts. In this paper we describe the development of nanocrystalline Al2O3 and Al2O3-Ni -coatings, where the grain size of Al2O3 has been decreased and a few percents of nickel has been added in order to toughen the coating. Coatings were manufactured by HV- 2000 HVOF using spray parameters determined based on the on-line spray diagnostics. Parameters were selected aiming at different melting stages of the powder. The resulting microstructure of the coatings and its influence on the coating properties is discussed