Abstract
The effect of powder injecting location of the plasma spraying on spraying properties was studied. Three different powder injecting methods were applied in the experiment. In the first method, the particles were axially injected into the plasma flow from the cathode tip. In the second method, the particles were radially injected into the plasma flow just downstream of the anode arc root inside the anode nozzle. In the third method, the particles were radially injected into the plasma jet at the nozzle exit. The alumina particles with a mean diameter of 20µm were used to deposit coatings. Spraying properties such as the deposition efficiency, the melting rate of the powder particles, and the coating quality were investigated. The results show that the spraying with axial particle injecting can heat and melt the powder particles more effectively, produce coatings with better quality, and have higher deposition efficiency.
