Abstract
Thermal spraying technologies are widely used to fabricate quality thick metallic and ceramic coatings for various applications. In all sectors of the industry today, demands better, faster and cheaper methods of production, as it seems that manufacturing demands are ever-increasing. However, if the coating thicknesses below 50 microns are demanded as the result of economic or technological requirements, this often constitutes a challenge for the established thermal spraying processes. For this purpose, in the present work, an attempt has been made to deposit a thin metallic coating below 40 microns by thermal spraying through wire feedstock materials rather than using an expensive powder as feedstock. For a broad spectrum of copper (Cu) applications, Cu is deposited on the low carbon steel substrates using fast, easy and economical Wire-High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (W-HVOF) thermal spray system (trade name-HIJET 9610). As-sprayed coatings were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for phase and microstructural analysis respectively. Coating surface roughness and porosity were also measured. Adhesion strength tests were conducted to determine the bond strength of the as-sprayed coatings. Results show that the coating deposited by W-HVOF has acceptable properties and gain a direct economic advantage and time-saving process, often over established thin coating techniques like plating.
