The performance of two distinct coating materials under alumina particle impingement was tested in this study. CrMnFeCoNi and WC-Ni coatings were applied to 2205 duplex stainless steel substrates using cold spray method with nitrogen as the process gas. In between the substrate and the high entropy alloy coating, an interlayer coating of 316 stainless steel was used. The presence of WC particles in the WC-Ni composite coatings was confirmed by SEM cross sectional inspection. Following deposition, the coatings were heat treated in an air furnace. The influence of heat treatment holding time on the WC-Ni coatings was studied using chemical analysis by X-ray diffraction. Heat treatments peak temperatures for the WC/Ni- Ni and high entropy alloy coatings were 600°C and 550°C, respectively. Coatings microhardness and porosity volume fraction were measured for all the samples. The HEA coating outperformed the WC/Ni-Ni hardness but exhibited a higher level of porosity. The coatings were then subjected to erosion experiments using alumina particles with variable impact angles (30°, 60°, and 90°). To compare the different materials, an average erosion value was calculated for each target specimen. The WC/Ni-Ni as-sprayed coating was the most effective against a 60° impingement angle. The HEA coating, on the other hand, demonstrated greater resistance to impact angles of 30° and 90°. SEM was utilized to examine the eroded areas and determine the main mechanisms of erosion.

In this study, Al-SiC composite coatings are produced by cold spraying ball-milled Al powders with different volume fractions of SiC particles. The morphology and microstructure evolution of the powder during ball milling are evaluated along with the effect of SiC content on the microstructure and wear behavior of the coatings. The results show that dense Al-SiC coatings with different volume fractions of SiC particles can be fabricated by cold spraying and that abrasive wear resistance is improved by raising the volume fraction of SiC particles. Wear surfaces indicate that the predominant wear mechanism is gouging of the soft Al matrix in the early stages and cracking and spalling of SiC particles in the latter stages. The dispersed SiC particles serve to protect the matrix from wear products thus raising the wear resistance of the coatings.

Magnesium alloy AZ91D-SiC composite coatings were fabricated by cold spraying to study the effects of SiC particle size and volume fraction on microstructure and mechanical properties. The results show that coatings with large SiC particles have higher microhardness and bonding strength. Mechanically blended powders with fine SiC particles, on the other hand, are difficult to deposit. SiC volume fractions in the starting powders were 15, 30, 45, and 60 vol%, resulting in coatings with SiC volume fractions of 19, 27, 37, and 51 vol%. Based on test results, coating hardness and bonding strength increase with increasing volume fraction of SiC particles.

Plasma-sprayed alumina-waste glass composite coatings on ceramic substrates were produced. Two kinds of alumina powders, different alumina volume fractions, and two glass powders particle size distributions were tested. Post-process thermal treatments were performed. The coatings were characterized by SEM, XRD, Vickers microhardness, fracture toughness, abrasion resistance tests. Coatings superior to traditional tile glazes were obtained with as high as 50 vol.% of waste glass. Fine glass powders (<45µm) must be employed to achieve adequate toughness. A low-cost spray-dried alumina can be used instead of the expensive commercial powders. The thermal treatment enhances the coating properties. A FEM thermo-mechanical simulation was performed. Elastic modulus calculations show a definite coating anisotropy (higher mechanical properties in the longitudinal direction). Compressive residual stresses in the alumina and tensile ones in the glass are developed after the thermal treatment. Crack propagation studies based on Griffith model show cracks initiating from larger pores and propagating easily through the glass, thus explaining the coating toughening achieved through the employment of finer glass powders. Cracks are stopped by alumina; this effect is enhanced in the thermally treated coatings. The numerical and experimental (from indentation fracture toughness test) crack propagation patterns are in good agreement.

The use of polymer matrix composites (PMC's) in the gas flow path of advanced turbine engines offers significant benefits for aircraft engine performance but their useful lifetime is limited by their poor erosion resistance. High velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) sprayed polymer/cermet functionally graded (FGM) coatings are being investigated as a method to address this technology gap by providing erosion and oxidation protection to polymer matrix composites. The FGM coating structures are based on a polyimide matrix filled with varying volume fractions of WC-Co. The graded coating architecture was produced using a combination of internal and external feedstock injection, via two computer-controlled powder feeders and controlled substrate preheating. Porosity, coating thickness and volume fraction of the WC-Co filler retained in the coatings were determined using standard metallographic techniques and computer image analysis. The pull-off strength (often refered to as the adhesive strength) of the coatings was evaluated according to the ASTM D 4541 standard test method, which measured the greatest normal tensile force that the coating could withstand. Adhesive/cohesive strengths were determined for three different types of coating structures and compared based on the maximum indicated load and the surface area loaded. The nature and locus of the fractures were characterized according to the percent of adhesive and/or cohesive failure, and the tested interfaces and layers involved were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy.