Fe-Cr(-Mo) alloy coatings were thermal sprayed by different processes of LPPS, HVOF and HPS. The as-sprayed coating by LPPS is perfectly amorphous and coatings by other processes contain partly crystalline phases. The amorphous phases crystallize at 773 K or more and shows a high hardness of about 1000 to 1400 DPN just after crystallization. The anodic polarization curves of the coatings shift from active to passive state in 1N H2SO4 and 1N HCl solutions. The coatings obtained by LPPS indicate the lowest active and passive current densities and possess the best corrosion resistance. The corrosion resistance of the coatings obtained by other processes are better than a SUS316L stainless steel coating. The LPPS coating of Fe-Cr-C-P alloy is not attacked on immersion test in 6% FeCl3·6H2O solution containing 0.05N HCl at the corrosion potential, while large pit corrosion is developed in a SUS316L stainless steel sheet.

The corrosion characteristics of two bespoke Ni-Cr-Mo-B alloy powders sprayed by the high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) process have been studied using potentiodynamic and potentiostatic corrosion analysis in 0.5M H2SO4. The deposits have also been microstructurally characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (utilising both secondary electron (SE) and backscattered electron (BE) modes), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results from the microstructural examination of the two alloys have revealed a predominantly amorphous/nanocrystalline (fcc) matrix containing submicron boride precipitates as well as regions of martensitically transformed laths. Apparent recrystallisation of the amorphous matrix has also been observed in the form of cellular crystals with an fcc structure. The oxide stringers observed at splat boundaries were found to be columnar grained α-Cr 2 O 3 , though regions of the spinel oxide NiCr 2 O 4 with a globular morphology were also observed. The coatings of the two alloys exhibited comparable resistance to corrosion in 0.5M H 2 SO 4 , as revealed by potentiodynamic tests. They both had rest potentials approximately equal to -300mV(SCE) and passive region current densities of around 1mAcm-2. Microstructural examination of samples tested potentiostatically revealed the prevalence of degradation at splat boundaries, especially those where significant oxidation of the deposit had occurred.

Physical properties of coatings based on Fe-B, Fe-Ni-B, Fe-Cr-P-C, Fe-Ni-Si-B, Ni-P, Ni-Nb and Co-Fe-B-Si, deposited by the methods of flame, plasma-arc, and detonation spraying were investigated. The coatings have mostly the amorphous structure with the volume content of the amorphous phase equal to 75-95 %. Values of the distribution and temperature coefficients of electric resistance of the coatings, depending upon a method and conditions of spraying, as well as upon their treatment parameters, were determined. Comparative studies of these coatings and thin amorphous strips produced by the melt spinning method were conducted. The amorphous coatings of ferromagnetic iron and cobalt alloys are shown to be magnetically soft materials and are characterized by a high magnetic induction combined with a high magnetic permeability. As compared with the amorphous strips, Curie temperature of the amorphous ferromagnetic coatings is by 50-140 K higher and their anisotropy of magnetic properties is lower.

This paper examines the stress state of plasma-sprayed amorphous coatings of Fe-B with additions of Ni, Cr, and Mo. Internal stresses depend on the type of plasma gas used, the thickness and composition of the coating, and the material and temperature of the substrate. In this study, additional cooling of the substrate was found to be the most efficient way to reduce internal stresses. Amorphous coatings were also found to improve fatigue strength by as much as 25-30%, which is attributed to the formation of compressive stresses in the coating layers adjoining the substrate.

An integrated approach was developed for investigation of thermal spray coatings with the amorphous-crystalline structure. The new approach combines methods of metallography, differential thermal and X-ray phase analysis, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis. This makes it possible to reveal structural, phase and chemical heterogeneity, determine the degree of amorphization of coatings, temperature and heat of crystallization of the amorphous phase during heating. The new integrated approach was used to study amorphous-crystalline coatings of the Ni-P, Fe-Ni-B and Fe-B systems produced by thermal spraying.

The elevated temperature erosion resistance of experimental amorphous thermal spray coatings was determined in a laboratory elevated temperature erosion tester. Test conditions attempted to simulate the erosion conditions found at the combustor waterwall tubes in fossil fuel fired boilers. Erosion tests were conducted on four experimental amorphous thermal spray coatings, using the bed ash retrieved from an operating coal fired boiler. An experimental arcspray process was used to spray coatings. These results were compared with erosion test results of two common structural materials, two commercially available arc-sprayed coatings, and a proprietary HVOF coating. Test results indicated that the Duocor coating had the highest erosion resistance among the four experimental coatings, it showed equal resistance to the HVOF coating (DS-200). Compared to AISI 1018 steel, both Duocor and DS-200 coatings reduced material wastage by 26-fold. Other test results indicated that the XJ-16, 60T and Armacor M coatings had equal erosion resistance reducing material wastage approximately 7-fold, while Armacor CW reduced by 10-fold. Only slightly better than the unprotected 1018 steel, the X-20 coating performed poorly on erosion tests. The high erosion resistance of Duocor and DS-200 coatings was attributed to their high densities and fine splat structures.

This paper describes the wear induced transformation of crystalline metal surfaces into amorphous and/or microcrystalline surfaces that exhibit gross changes in the fundamental properties of friction, wear, hardness and toughness. The coatings are applied using wire and powder feed to TWAS and HVOF equipment. Wear processes investigated include adhesive wear, low stress abrasion, grinding wear and galling. The effects of chemical makeup of the surfaces and the alloy structure are examined using microscopy and x-ray diffraction. The surface & underlying coating characteristics including roughness, microstructure, hardness and friction coefficient are determined. Results show that the surface structure is dependent on the wear vector. The structural transformation is a function of the chemical makeup and intrinsic wear resistance of the crystalline alloy coupled with the energy input of the wear process. High energy wear such as grinding wear can overcome the transformation. The results also suggest that the micro-welding that occurs between asperities in crystalline alloys is replaced by a flow process on the transformed surface. Coating structure, glass transition temperature, crystallization temperature and critical cooling rate of the transformed surface are much more significant than the chemistry of the alloy once the transformation takes place.

A brief feasibility study was performed to produce thermal spray coatings using gas atomized powders of Cu47Ti34-xZr11Ni8Six, where x=0 and 1. These alloys have previously been shown to be capable of forming metallic glasses having thick (1-2 cm) cross sections because they can be cooled from the melt at relatively low cooling rates (e.g., 100-102Ks-1). The properties of these metallic glasses include high strength, high elasticity and high fracture toughness. Amorphous plasma arc sprayed coatings were produced which were close in composition to the starting powders, and exhibited comparable glass transition and crystallization behavior. The amorphous structure of the as-sprayed coatings was used as a source for forming a range of partially devitrified and fully crystallized structures. The average hardness of the coatings increased from around 6 GPa to near 10 GPa as the degree of crystallization increased.

The high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) combustion spray technique has been shown previously to be an excellent solution for depositing crystalline matrix nano-reinforced polymer coatings [1]. Dense polymer coatings can be produced by HVOF combustion spraying by controlling particle dwell time in the jet and through substrate thermal management. Use of an amorphous matrix material, polycarbonate, will enable the role of matrix crystallinity on the structure and properties of thermally sprayed polymer composite coatings to be separated from effects resulting from the reinforcing phase. An amorphous, commercial polycarbonate resin with a broad particle size distribution of irregular particle morphology has been successfully deposited. Results from optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scratch and density measurements are presented. The influence of variations in process parameters such as spray distance, nozzle length, chiller temperature, fuel: oxygen ratio, and total gas flow rate on coating microstructure are presented.

This investigation was conducted to clarify the effects of process parameters on the formation of the new amorphous coating using Zr-based alloy, which is known as bulk metallic glass forming alloy, by a HVOF (High Velocity Oxygen Fuel) spraying process. Powders used for spraying was prepared by vacuum gas atomization and then crushed by a centrifugal mill. HVOF spraying experiments were carried out using a Tafa JP-5000 spraying gun. DTA (Differential Thermal Analysis) measurements have shown that the amorphous content of the coatings was measured up to about 65% depending on the spraying parameters. The amorphous fraction of the coatings is decreased with increasing the spray distance and the fuel flow rate. Microstructural observations and X-ray diffraction analysis of the spray coated layers reveal that the amorphization behavior during the spraying is attributed to the degree of the solidification of droplets and the oxide (ZrO2) formation in spray coated layers. Therefore, flame temperature and spray distance that can control the carrier gas temperature and undercooling effects of the droplets are the most crucial factors for the evolution of the amorphous phase using this bulk metallic glass forming alloy.

In severe corrosive or abrasive environments, steel is rarely used since the range of properties available, in existing steels, are insufficient, resulting in the prevalent usage of either corrosion resistant materials like nickel based superalloys or abrasion resistant materials like tungsten carbide based hardmetals. Recently, a host of carbide based alloys including WC-Co-Cr, NiCr-Cr 3 C 2 , WC-WB-Co etc. have been developed in an attempt to bridge the gap between providing both wear and corrosion protection. Data will be presented showing how a newly developed steel coating, SAM2X5, with an amorphous / nanocomposite structure can bridge the gap between conventional metallic alloys and ceramic hardmetal performance with excellent combinations of properties including corrosion resistance superior to nickel base superalloys in seawater / chloride environments and wear resistance approaching that of tungsten carbide. The unique combination of damage tolerance developed should be especially applicable for the replacement of electrolytic hard chromium coatings.

In this investigation, cold spraying is used to deposit a simple binary amorphous alloy with technical purity. Cu 50 Zr 50 was chosen as the model system due to its glass-forming ability and insensitivity to changes in composition. Critical velocities for coating formation were experimentally determined by systematic variation of spray parameter sets. These values were then used to tune existing bonding models to cold spraying of amorphous Cu 50 Zr 50 powder. It is shown that under suitable conditions, well adhering coatings with the amorphous structure of the powder can be obtained by cold spraying with nitrogen as the process gas.

Alumina-zirconia ceramic material has been plasma sprayed using a water stabilized plasma torch (WSP) to produce free standing coatings. The as-sprayed coatings have very low porosity and are mostly amorphous. The amorphous material crystallizes at temperatures above 900 °C. A spark plasma sintering apparatus has been used to heat the as-sprayed samples to temperatures above 900 °C to induce crystallization while at the same time a uniaxial pressure of 80 GPa has been applied to the their surface. After such post-treatment, the ceramic samples are crystalline and exhibit very low open porosity. The as-sprayed amorphous materials also exhibit high hardness and high abrasion resistance. Both properties are significantly improved in the heat-treated samples whose microstructure is best described as nanocomposite with the very small crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix.

Deposition of amorphous aluminium powder using cold spray technology as a corrosion prevention measure was studied. Amorphous aluminium (Al-Ni-Ce) powder was successfully deposited on 7000-series aluminium substrates using cold spray parameters of 1.7 MPa under compressed air and temperature of 450°C. The coatings were subjected to tensile bond strength measurement and comparative studies with cold sprayed pure Al6061 coatings were conducted. The results obtained showed that the amorphous aluminium coatings exhibited better adhesive strength. In addition, salt-water immersion test was conducted. The Al-Ni-Ce coating not only demonstrated better corrosion resistance but also exhibited evidence of passivation of surface imperfections such as scratches in the coatings.

Computational metallurgy is a technique being used and developed in the field of bulk alloys to design and develop novel amorphous and nanocrystalline materials. This technology can be transitioned to develop chemistries for both wear and corrosion resistant thermal spray coatings. Using computational metallurgy and small scale laboratory experiments, nanostructured and amorphous chemistries can be designed to specifically accommodate one of the many environmental conditions challenging the oil and gas industry. This study reviews the design procedures behind developing three unique chemistries intended to function in different environments: 1) an Fe-based chemistry designed for metal to metal sliding wear resistance, 2) an Fe-based chemistry containing elevated refractory content intended specifically for spray and fuse applications to resist sulfurous corrosion, and 3) a Ni-based chemistry similar to Alloy C276 for high temperature corrosion resistance. All three alloys were designed using computational techniques and eventually manufactured into cored wires for use within the twin wire arc spray (TWAS) process. The fine grained structure provides unique benefits to each application including 1) high hardness, 2) ability to rapidly form protective scale, 3) low melting temperature and creep resistance.

In this work, gas-atomized FeCr powders were deposited on aluminum substrates by HVOF spraying, forming dispersion strengthened coatings with a dense layered structure and low porosity. SEM, TEM, and XRD analyses show that the coatings primarily consist of amorphous matrix (40%) with precipitated nanocrystals and hard boride phases. A number of coating properties, including microhardness, bonding strength, and thermal conductivity, were measured and are correlated with spraying conditions.

The objective of this work is the development of highly amorphous, iron based coatings for thermal barrier applications. Based on the results of previous work, a chemical composition of Fe 72 Si 4 B 20 Nb 4 was selected and modified in order to improve glass forming ability and corrosion resistance. Three metallic glass powder mixtures with different amounts of Cr and Fe were prepared, characterized, and deposited by air plasma and HVOF spraying. Different gas flow rates and standoff distances were used and particle temperatures and velocities were measured during spraying. The deposits were examined, tested, and compared and were found to have good potential for thermal barrier coating applications.

A novel material has been used for plasma spraying by WSP. The material is composed of three main phases, namely corundum (aluminum oxide), baddeleyite (zirconium oxide), and glassy phase (silicon oxide). The material is a refractory and exhibits very high hardness, extremely high abrasion resistance, and chemical resistance. Conventionally, the material is fabricated by melt casting and machining. Cast tiles of the material were ground and sieved to obtain the right powder cut size for plasma spraying by water stabilized plasma torch (WSP). Both dense coatings and free standing parts were achieved with the new material, which sprays very well with WSP. Spraying parameters were varied and molten particles were monitored in flight by DPV 2000. The coatings exhibit very low porosity and high hardness. The as-sprayed material is mostly amorphous with some nanocrystalline grains of aluminum and zirconium oxide present. The phase composition of the as-sprayed material is thus different from that of the feedstock material, which is mostly crystalline with a small fraction of amorphous silica glass. The microstructure of the newly sprayed material was studied by electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and is very complex. Upon annealing, the as-sprayed material crystallizes around 950ºC. This result and other thermal properties were measured by TMA and DTA. The ease of plasma spraying and the coating properties make this material a suitable candidate for many industrial applications.

In the current work, a typical NiCrAlY alloy and, moreover, amorphous Fe-based alloys are arc-sprayed for the desired application in cryogenic environments. Nitrogen is used as process gas, while the stand-off distance and number of passes were varied. The results demonstrate coatings with low, but varying porosity and oxide content and mostly high electrical conductivity. Especially the amorphous Fe-based coatings reveal homogeneous coating structures and promising properties. Further investigations regarded the deposition efficiency, tensile adhesive strength, hardness, durability under cryogenic conditions and the thermal diffusivity.

An amorphous Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) ceramic powder feedstock is successfully used to produce a novel YSZ ceramic coating by plasma spraying process, in this paper. Unlike conventional atmosphere plasma spray (APS) and solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS) YSZ coatings, the YSZ ceramic coating fabricated by plasma spraying amorphous YSZ ceramic powder feedstock reveals complex structure of cell and ultrafine particles instead of conventional splats and porous structure. A large number of ultrafine particles are found in the cell. Phase structure of the YSZ ceramic coating is tetragonal. Porosity is about 31%. In addition, thermal cycling test is nearly 370 cycles, and the thermal conductivity is 1.0 W.m-1.K-1, at 1250 temperature. Based on these excellent properties, the YSZ ceramic coating fabricated by plasma spraying amorphous YSZ ceramic powder feedstock should be used as high-temperature abradable sealing coatings and thermal barrier coatings (TBCs).