Sand blasting and high-velocity thermal spray processes can produce residual stresses in superalloy substrates that can significantly influence microstructure development. To investigate this effect, single-crystal superalloy substrates were sand blasted using different levels of force (zero, light, and heavy) and then coated with a MCrAlY layer by HVOF spraying. Cross-sectional analysis of an as-sprayed sample revealed a subsurface depletion zone with a composition rich in Mo nano precipitates. Cross-sectional examinations after vacuum heat treating and at various points during oxidation testing showed that elemental interdiffusion occurred between the coating and substrate and that sand blasting intensity has a major influence on the depth of the interdiffusion zones.

In this study, aluminum coatings were cold sprayed, with and without laser assistance, on laser-textured aluminum 6060 and Fe52 steel substrates. The results indicate that laser texturing makes for a cleaner coating interface than grit blasting and that the benefits are greatest when spraying on harder substrate materials. For the steel substrate, the optimized topography achieved through laser texturing assisted in particle deformation, leading to the formation of a much tighter coating structure. Laser-assisted cold spraying, in turn, improved deposition efficiency as well as coating density and adhesion. Separately or together, the two processes have proven to be beneficial for cold spraying.

Suspension Plasma Spraying is a relatively new thermal spaying technique to produce advanced thermal barrier coatings. This technique enables the production of a variety of structures from highly dense, highly porous, segmented or columnar coatings. In this work a comparative study is performed on six different suspension plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings which were produced using axial injection and different process parameters. The influence of coating morphology and porosity on thermal properties was of specific interest. Tests carried out include microstructural analysis with SEM, phase analysis using XRD, porosity calculation using Archimedes experimental setup, pore distribution analysis using mercury infiltration technique and thermal diffusivity/conductivity measurements using laser flash analysis. The results showed that columnar and cauliflower type coatings were produced by axial suspension plasma spraying process. Better performance coatings were produced with relatively higher overall energy input given during spraying. Coatings with higher energy input, lower thickness and wider range of submicron and nanometer sized pores distribution showed lower thermal diffusivity and hence lower thermal conductivity. Also, in-situ heat treatment did not show dramatic increase in thermal properties.

In thermal spraying uncoated substrates usually require roughening. As the most common roughening method, grit blasting increases the surface area and produces undercuts, which facilitate mechanical interlocking and thus promote the bonding between the substrate and coating. The effects of grit blasting parameters, i.e. the particle size, the blasting angle, the stand-off distance and the pressure, on the resulting surface topography are investigated. Furthermore the efficiency and wear behavior of the blasting media are analyzed. Influences of three different blasting media, corundum, alumina zirconia and steel shot, on the surface roughening are compared.

The bond strength between a thermal spray coating and substrate is critical for many applications and is dependent on good substrate surface preparation and optimised spray parameters. While spray parameters are usually carefully monitored and controlled, most surface preparation is carried out by manual grit blasting, with little or no calibration of blast parameters. Blasting is currently highly dependent on operator skill and often surface finish is only assessed visually, meaning a consistent, reproducible surface profile cannot be guaranteed. Mechanised blasting offers the promise of more tightly controlled surface preparation and presents an opportunity to improve coating adhesion. This paper presents investigations on the effect of blast parameters (including blast pressure, standoff distance, media feed rate, blast angle, traverse speed and media size) on surface profile for a range of metallic substrates using a mechanised, robotic blasting system. Substrates were characterised using contact profilometry and non-contact focus variation microscopy.

The paper discusses a possibility of metallization of polymers using low pressure cold spray (Dymet 413). The bonding mechanism of the coating is discussed as well as the influence of the number of spraying passes on coating microstructure. Two commercial powder were used (i) tin; and (ii) aluminum to obtain coatings on PA6 polymer substrate. The substrate topography was modified with sandblasting. The adhesion strength, residual stresses, electrical resistivity, and microstructure were determined and characterized. Finally the comparison with other metallization methods was made and the application of cold spray for producing local conductive paths was assessed.

In previous work, a thermal spray multilayer system consisting of ZrO 2 and an MCrAlY top coat showed promising results regarding oxidation behavior of the γ-TiAl substrates tested, which encouraged further research activities. Diffusion of substrate material was successfully inhibited by a ceramic ZrO 2 coating. A building up of a dense and stable oxide layer could be achieved by additional application of an MCrAlY top coat, leading to improved oxidation resistance and thus showing feasibility. In this work the main focus for development was put on enhancing adhesion and lowering residual stresses of the coatings in order to allow long term and cyclic testing without delamination taking place. Being a very brittle material, Gamma Titanium Aluminides require special surface treatment to enable roughening which is crucial for a strong mechanical bond between substrate and coating. Alternatives to conventional grit blasting as a standard preparation method were investigated. These were micro-abrasive blasting and blasting at elevated temperature (≈300-550 °C) to allow a more ductile behavior. The paper will highlight the implications by means of these measures and will also show the present development status of the multilayer system.

A carbon steel was blasted by white alumina, and removability of residual grit was investigated. Blasting parameters such as grit particle size were varied. Residual grit was removed from substrate surface by dissolving the substrate in mixed acid solution, and the amount of residual grit was measured. Removal of residual grit was carried out by ultrasonic cleaning. The amount of residual grit was 7-17 g/m 2 , and penetration depth of embedded grit of most residual grit was 25-40 µm. The amount of residual grit increased with decreasing the grit size. However, the minimum amount of the substrate dissolution required for the grit removal increased with increasing the grit size.

Thermal sprayed coatings often need to be removed for maintenance, repair or recycling and are accomplished by various conventional methods such as grinding, abrasive blasting and chemical removal processes. The coating removal for repair is typically done for expensive and/or very complex parts. Parts of turbines, equipped with functional coatings, are stripped for inspection and repair as well as old coatings are renewed. When removing a thermal sprayed coating, damage to the part or ablation of the substrate must be avoided. A new process of dry ice blasting alone as well as in combination with a laser beam in a hybrid process has been approved for the removal of thermal sprayed coatings in a project aided by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment via the Federation of Industrial Research Associations (AIF). The aim of the project is to obtain the properties for the comparison and benchmarking of coating removal processes. Comparative studies have been made with the water jet and the abrasive water jet process at the Institute of Materials Science of the University of Hanover.

The morphology of sprayed splat raises the coatings adhesion and the properties which are determined by the spraying parameters. A lot of studies in this field show that the substrate surface temperature is a very relevant factor for the splat shape: the hypotheses of substrate surface wetability and contamination or absorption layer on the surfaces are supported by the fact that the near disk-shaped splat can be obtained in increasing the substrate temperature. In the PROTAL process, a short duration pulse laser is used to ablate the substrate just before powder spraying. This ablation is powerful enough to eliminate the contaminations on the substrate surface and to improve the adhesion. In this study the analyses of NiAl splat morphology on polished TA6V substrate were carried out using PROTAL process with different substrate temperatures and different heating modes: the flame and another laser. Results show that the temperature at which the disk shaped splat can be obtained was decreased dramatically by PROTAL process and PROTAL process combined with another laser has increased the adhesion strength of the coatings.

This paper deals with the removal of thermal sprayed coatings. It describes chemical, mechanical, thermal, and erosive and abrasive waterjet coating removal processes. Plain waterjet and cryogenic techniques reduce the risk of damaging the substrate or bond layers because they are more selective and precise. In cases where thermal induced diffusion processes have changed the bond characteristics between the coating and substrate, the use of selective mechanisms tends to be limited. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

Substrates protected by thermal spray coatings are usually found intact after use, making them viable candidates for recycling and reuse. The key is to remove the coating without damaging the component. This requires a process that minimizes the development of residual stresses and the associated distortion. The purpose of this work is to determine the optimal descaling technique for Ni-base sheets with a thermal barrier coating. Test specimens were produced following industry procedures. Thin sheets (<3 mm) of Ni-base superalloy were plasma sprayed with a NiCrAlY bond coat and a Y203-stabilized ZrO2 topcoat. The coating layers were then removed using different methods, including pickling, shot blasting, and water jet descaling, and the substrates were assessed based on X-ray diffraction and chord width measurements. The findings of the study show that water jetting removes all surface materials, particularly the bond coat, without damaging the underlying surface. It also produces the least amount of stress and deformation and is relatively easy to automate.

Transferred-arc cleaning is being investigated as a solvent-free cleaning method for various metallic substrates. With the recent increase in attention given the hazards involved in the storage, use and disposal of organic solvents, cleaning methods which promise comparable cleaning effectiveness with reduced hazards are being sought. Transferred-arc cleaning of tungsten substrates has been studied to identify the effect of processing conditions on cleaning and roughening characteristics. A Box-Behnken response surface designed experiment varying the chamber pressure, substrate standoff distance and plasma torch arc current while observing the transferred-arc voltage, current, surface cleanliness and surface roughness was performed. The results of the analysis show the effect of the various independent variables on the measured responses. Particular difficulties in roughening tungsten are due to its exceptionally high arc voltage for metal arc attachment. The results presented here provide an enhanced understanding of the arcing properties of various cathode materials. Such information is useful in obtaining the desired cleaning and/or roughening of the substrate.

Transferred-arc cleaning and roughening as discussed in the patent by Muhlberger is often used as a surface preparation method prior to low pressure plasma spray (LPPS) deposition of coatings. In this article, electrically transmitted arc cleaning is investigated as a precision cleaning method for thin films lubricating substrates as well as traditional cleaning and roughening for LPPS. A Box-Behnken reaction surface construction test is carried out with variation of the chamber pressure, the substrate distance and the torch current taking into account the transferred arc voltage, the voltage fluctuation, the current, the emitted light, and the surface cleanliness. The results of the analysis show the effect of the various independent quantities on the measured responses. Different stages in the cleaning process are determined by their sample cleanliness, their voltage level, their voltage fluctuation, their emitted light and their rate of erosion. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

Conventional corrosion protection of steel structures has usually involved the application and reapplication of lead-based paint (LBP), a material now known to be highly toxic and likely to find its way into the environment. LBP is no longer used in the field, but repair crews, nearby communities, and the environment may be exposed to unacceptably high levels of lead as the substrates of older structures are prepared for repainting during routine M&R operations. Conventional dust-containment enclosures used onsite during surface preparation (abrasive blasting) are often inadequate. The most effective containment technologies, on the other hand, tend to be expensive and cumbersome. All of these factors make surface preparation and recoating slow, technically difficult, physically demanding, and hazardous to the worker and the environment. Automated technologies have the potential to address all aspects of these interrelated infrastructure M&R problems. An example of such a technology is the Automated Thermal Spray System (ATSS). The ATSS utilizes a triaxial array of linear motion actuators to form a robot capable of performing preprogrammed sequences. The demonstration proved that the ATSS can successfully remove deteriorated lead-based paint from a steel bridge and then apply a protective coating to the exposed surface.