The Effect of Spray Distance and Chemistry on Pore and Crack Development in Plasma Sprayed Ceramic Deposits Available to Purchase

The porous microstructure of plasma-sprayed deposits prepared from gray-alumina feedstock and from two different yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) feedstocks were studied as a function of spray distance. For each material, the behavior of the two major void systems—intralamellar cracks and interlamellar pores—was investigated. The results offer the first proof that the quantity and the character of the porosity in these materials can be controlled independently by selecting the appropriate processing protocols.