Abstract
Thermal spraying covers a range of spraying processes in which any metallic, ceramic or polymer-based material can be sprayed onto a substrate to be protected. This flexibility of thermal spraying makes the technology extremely successful in different engineering applications. Protection of the metallic components by hard oxide or ceramic-metallic coatings has proven to be an effective way to reduce wear and corrosion. Polymer coatings are increasing in importance as protection against corrosion and wear for several environmental conditions. Polymeric materials typically exhibit a low shear strength and low elastic modulus that make them viable for use under tribological conditions. Thermally sprayed polymers have the potential both to lower material costs and improve coating performance in drastic environments. In this work, a comparative study is carried out to evaluate the performance of some thermoplastic and hydrocarbon derived polymers deposited onto steel by thermal spray technology. Several tests were performed to evaluate the obtained coatings mainly related to tribological performance.
