Tungsten heavy alloy (WHA) of W-Ni composition was deposited from a blend of standard thermal spray powders using a radio frequency inductively coupled plasma torch in a protective atmosphere. The coating contained a fully developed WHA structure, i.e., spherical W particles embedded in a Ni-rich matrix. Bending tensile strength R m , bending yield strength R p,0.2 , and elastic modulus were measured and compared with W-Ni-Co references fabricated by sintered and quenched (SQ) and forged and annealed (FA) powder metallurgy (PM) processes. The fatigue and fracture properties of the plasma spray deposits are comparable with those of the SQ-PM reference material, but inferior to those of the FA-PM reference. The results of various property tests are presented and analyzed in the paper.

This study investigates the potential of cold-sprayed tungsten coatings for use in nuclear fusion reactors. Three commercially available tungsten powders were selected from which six series of feedstock were prepared. The feedstocks were deposited on aluminum, steel, and stainless steel substrates using high-pressure nitrogen cold spraying. The coatings produced were characterized based on SEM, EDX, and XRD analysis and were found to be free of oxides with levels of tungsten that were previously unachieved. The results indicate that cold spraying is a viable technology for applying tungsten-base coatings to critical components in nuclear fusion equipment.

Tungsten and its alloys are promising candidates for protecting plasma-facing components in fusion reactors such as tokamaks. However, processing is complicated by tungsten’s brittleness, CTE mismatch with copper and steel, susceptibility to grain growth and oxidation above 500 °C, and poor weldability. Given these factors, attention is shifting from conventional methods to powder and additive techniques. In this work, two technologies are employed for consolidation of W and WCr layers: cold kinetic spraying and inductively-coupled plasma spraying. Both methods overcome production challenges by depositing plasma-facing layers directly on structural parts, without the need for joining and the risk of oxidation. The properties of W and WCr coatings obtained by both methods are assessed by means of SEM, XRD, and mechanical and thermal analysis.

Plasma Facing Materials (PFMs) suffer from very high heat load including quasi-stationary high heat load during normal operation and transient events with extremely high heat load during normal plasma operation and off-normal events. In this paper, W/Cu functional gradient coating was applied on CuCrZr substrate (250mm × 120mm × 30mm) with compositionally gradient W/Cu as bond coat (0.4-0.6 mm) and 1.5 mm thickness W coating as top coat via VPS for continuous deposition duration of 5 h. VPS-W/CuCrZr mockup with built-in cooling channel was prepared for evaluating the transient vertical displacement and plasma disruption events applied by high energy electron beam. The formation of cracks and surface melting of VPS W/Cu mockup were investigated under the two transient high heat loads (HHL). The coatings were able to absorb about 2 MJ/m2 in HHL without significant damage.

Molten metals are extremely corrosive against steel-made molds. In addition to alternating thermal loads and erosion by hard particles the lifetime of molds in the permanent-mold casting industry is rather short. Tungsten-based pseudoalloys are able to increase the lifetime of these molds significantly, but, by now, their use is limited to sintered inlays at the mostly stressed parts of the mold. Coating the whole mold with these materials offers an increase of the lifetime and at the same time a reduction of the amount of deployed feedstock. Within this research project it was possible to increase the lifetime of a kernel in used in casting brass by a factor of 20 by cladding it with tungsten-based pseudoalloys. The metallurgical behaviour of the tungsten-based pseudoalloys is quite complex. By modifying the coating process different shapes and amounts of tungsten precipitations in the nickel-iron-binder can be realized. The different microstructure within the coating does strongly affect the mechanical and anti-corrosion properties of the coating.

To overcome the problem of depositing dense refractory coatings, a study was undertaken on the effect of using three plasma gases simultaneously when depositing tungsten and tungsten alloys utilizing Low Pressure Plasma Spraying (LPPS). A greater degree of control of the plasma flame temperature, jet velocity, and heat transfer capability is believed to occur when using ternary gas mixtures. Samples were prepared and coated using Argon, Helium, and Hydrogen in different ratios. Variations of chamber pressures were used as an additional parameter to control and optimize the deposits. The samples were sectioned and analyzed. Microstructural features such as porosity, unmelted particles, and grain size, were characterized using optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Fractography was used to determine lamellar thickness and distribution. Mechanical properties were evaluated by measuring the microhardness of the different coatings in comparison to one another.

Plasma sprayed tungsten and tungsten-copper coatings are being developed for potential application as plasma facing materials for fusion reactors. Initial spray tests indicated difficulties in tungsten melting and in-flight oxidation. Numerical modeling was performed to help explain these issues. A complex study of the process and its products was performed, including: in-flight diagnostics, characterization of isolated splats, and structure, composition, thermal and mechanical properties of the coatings. Based on these results, the process was optimized, with respect to powder size and various spraying parameters, to improve melting of the particles, reduce oxidation and increase the deposition efficiency.

Impact performance of plasma spray coatings is usually evaluated by means of surface observation after impact action. As a matter of fact, the dynamic response characteristics of coatings in the course of impact action are also very important. In this paper, a method of response frequency spectrum analysis is developed for the impact evaluation of plasma spray coatings. An impact test machine, in which the impact load is generated by a pivot-rod-lever system, is specially designed, allowing both single impact test and repeated impact test. The frequency spectra of Cr2O3 ceramic coating and WC-Co17% alloy coating under single and repeated impact action are analyzed. The results show that there is an obvious relationship between the impact performance and the impact response frequency spectrum. Abrupt changes in the coating, such as appearance of surface cracks and surface damage, correspond the sudden changes of the response frequency spectrum.

The aim of this study is to produce free-standing functionally-graded structures in which density varies continuously from 2.2 to 17.3 g/cm3 through a total thickness of 4.5 mm. In order to optimize material performance, it is necessary to account for the different combinations or ratios of materials (i.e., tungsten and aluminum) in the plasma jet when determining mixture laws. A relationship based on the deposition efficiency, powder feed rate, and density of individually sprayed materials has been established and was used to predict the density, thickness, and deposition efficiency of the combined materials. The mixture laws were found to be in good agreement with experimental results, making it possible to build up coatings with a parabolic density profile and uniform layer thickness.

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.