This study assesses the effect of yttrium additions on plasma sprayed MoS 2 /Ni-SiC-Y coatings produced from particle-reinforced composite powders. It is shown that the microstructure of the self-lubricating coatings improves with the addition of yttrium, resulting in increased hardness and cohesive strength. The tribological properties of the coatings were also studied, showing that the ideal amount of yttrium is 12 wt% based on wear loss measurements and that the fractal dimension of sliding wear debris depends on the friction load as well as the mass fraction of yttrium.

A real-time measuring system has been developed to record and analyze the fluctuations of burner voltage and current. The objective is to identify the occurrence of stripping unmolten wire pieces (cold shuts) and to detect corresponding spraying conditions. To identify voltage and current fluctuations causing cold shuts, high speed camera shots are synchronized with electrical measurements to analyze spraying parameters which were assumed leading to cold shuts. As a result, different cold shut conditions could be identified. The electrical cold shut identification then triggers a camera system, to capture online the size and velocity of cold shuts. Based on electrical measurements it is intended to detect wear of spraying equipment which leads to enhanced cold shuts occurrence during industrial spraying process.

Wear of plasma spray nozzles is a documented source of variation in the plasma spray process. Current wear detection relies upon observed gun voltage drops during operation. Operating voltage or hours of operation are rarely recorded when nozzles are changed over resulting in the loss of nozzle wear state knowledge. An offline means of determining wear state of GH type nozzles for OM 9MB plasma spray guns has been developed. By recording and analyzing the acoustic signal of a controlled gas flow through each nozzle, 28 nozzles were accurately categorized by their degree of wear. This test also allowed for the distinction between three manufacturers of new GH nozzles. Degree of wear was determined using bore profilometry and verified by voltage drop. This method allows for improved quality assurance and enhanced useful nozzle life.

Chromium carbide-based thermally sprayed coatings are widely used for high temperature wear applications. In these extreme environments at those temperatures, several phenomena will degrade, oxidize and change the microstructure of the coatings, thereby affecting their wear behaviour. Although it can be easily conceived that the Cr 3 C 2 -NiCr coating microstructure evolution after high temperature exposure will depend on the as-sprayed microstructure and spraying parameters, very little has been done in this regard. This study intends to develop a better understanding of the effect of spraying parameters on the resulting chromium carbide coating microstructure after high temperature operation and high temperature sliding wear properties. The microstructures of different coatings produced from two morphologies of Cr 3 C 2 -NiCr powders and under a window of in-flight particle temperature and velocity values were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Sliding wear at 800°C was performed and the wear behaviour correlated to the spraying parameters and coating microstructure. Vickers microhardness (300 gf) of the coatings before and after sliding wear was also measured.