Abstract
Phase transformations and/or decomposition of deposited compounds have an indisputable influence on materials properties of plasma sprayed deposits. Using water stabilized plasma, free-standing parts were manufactured from a mechanical mixture of zircon and alumina powders and annealed. The phase composition was determined by X-ray diffraction and the chemical composition was checked by x-ray microanalysis. ZrSiO4 during plasma spraying decomposes into ZrO2 and SiO2. In the as-sprayed condition, after a relatively fast quenching, the following phases can be found: a very fine eutectic mixture of tetragonal and monoclinic ZrO2, amorphous SiO2 and a spinel phase of Al2O3. On annealing for 2 hours at 1300 and 1500 °C the spinel Al2O3 transformed to corundum. At the same time, amorphous silica crystallized. Tetragonal ZrO2 transformed to the monoclinic modification and together with SiO2 formed again ZrSiO4. At the highest annealing temperature Al2O3 and SiO2 partialy reacted to form a small amount of mullite (3Al2O3.2SiO2).
