Increasing Performance of Plasma Spray Formed Components

Near-net-shape spray forming reduces the cost and complexity of fabricating certain types of structures. Although such components perform adequately as-sprayed, improvements achieved through alloying, thermal treatments, and additional coating steps are often worth pursuing. In tungsten components, for example, additions of rhenium, nickel, or iron can significantly improve material strength and ductility; thermal treatments such as heat treating and hot isostatic pressing can change and densify microstructures; and coating exposed surfaces can improve environmental compatibility. Such improvements in plasma spray formed refractory metal components are presented in this paper.