A finite difference model for the thermal analysis of the dynamic stochastic multiple particle deposition process of thermal spray was developed in this paper. Contrary to the traditional layer by layer deposition model, the thermal contribution of individual particles randomly distributed around the spray jet center was taken into account so as to simulate coating formation process. New material was dynamically added onto coating/substrate surface with prescribed gun movement. Latent heat effect was introduced by defining the enthalpy of the material as a function of temperature in order to take into account solidification induced phase change. Real thermal spray process can be simulated with adjustable particle size, spray deposition rate, velocity of gun movement, etc.

Dual-wire arc sprayed Al/Al2O3 MMC coatings have been successfully applied to shipboard and other steel structures. However, the feed wire used is difficult to produce, restricting the application potential of the method. To avoid this difficulty, arc sprayable cored wire was developed, with Al2O3 powder as the filling material and commercial aluminum strip as the retaining sheath. Arc sprayed coatings made from cored Al/Al2O3 wire have been characterized based on bond strength, Al2O3 content, microstructure, microhardness, and wear resistance, and the results are compared with those of pure aluminium coatings.