In the present work, pure Al and Al-Al 2 O 3 composite coatings are deposited by cold spraying while measuring in-flight particle velocities. Residual stresses, evaluated using the Almen curvature method, X-day diffraction, and modified layer removal, are correlated with particle velocity, coating thickness, and alumina content. Peening stresses due to plastic deformation were estimated to be less than 100 MPa and are shown to be nearly constant through the thickness of the coatings.

Aluminum coatings were deposited onto Al7075 T651 structural alloy using both cold spraying and arc spraying. Arc spray coatings were produced using optimized parameters for two atomizing gases, namely air and nitrogen. Cold spray coatings were produced using a low pressure system with air and nitrogen as propelling gases. Six surface preparation procedures prior to deposition were evaluated. Interface quality of as-deposited coatings was investigated by means of fluorescent dye interface penetration technique, bond strength testing and backscattered electron microscopy. Environmentally assisted cracking tests were performed to study the corrosion protection capability of the resulting coatings for structural applications. Micrographs of samples taken before and after cyclic load testing in salt water immersion were compared. The results demonstrated that the Al coatings produced by both arc spray and cold spray provide to Al7075 alloy a cathodic protection against cracking and localized corrosion. However, to obtain such coating properties arc spray technique required advanced surface preparation prior to deposition. For cold spray, the surface preparation has minimal influence on the coating properties thus making this process more advantageous than arc spraying for this application.

Coating build-up mechanisms and properties of cold sprayed aluminum-alumina cermets were investigated. Two spherical aluminum powders having average diameters of 36 and 81 microns were compared. Those powders were blended with alumina at several concentrations. Coatings were produced using a commercial low pressure cold spray system. Powders and coatings were characterized by electronic microscopy and microhardness measurements. In-flight particle velocities were monitored for all powders. The deposition efficiency was measured for all experimental conditions. Coating performance and properties were investigated by performing bond strength test, abrasion test and corrosion tests, namely, salt spray and alternated immersion in salt water tests. These coating properties were correlated to the alumina fraction either in the starting powder or in the coating.

In order to broader thermal spraying applications and reduce constraints and time due to conventional surface preparation before thermal spraying, the PROTAL process was developed over the last decade. This process integrates laser ablation, using a Q-switched Nd-YAG laser to prepare the surface simultaneously to the coating build-up during Plasma or HVOF Spraying. The present paper aimed at evaluating the feasibility to use the Protal technology in conjunction with the Twin Wire Arc deposition (Arc spraying) onto the 7075 Aluminum based alloy and to define the optimal Protal process parameters. Coating adhesion, micro-gap at coating-substrate interface and the coating residual stresses are evaluated. The Protal parameters investigated are: the laser energy density onto the substrate and the coating layers, the number of laser passes and the time delay between the laser impact. This study results indicate that it is feasible to use the Protal technology in-situ with the Arc spray process in spite of the challenging overspray and the large plume size of the Arc process. Good adherence and absence of interface micro-gap is obtained with an appropriate range of laser energy density to ablate the substrate. The use of a low energy ablation prior each coating layers reduces coating tensile residual stresses and improves furthermore the bond strength. The elimination of the process ablation dust and overspray dust prior the coating deposition onto the plane substrate was found critical to obtain a good bond strength. This research results from collaboration between the LERMPS in France and National Research Council Canada. Abstract only; no full-text paper available.

Under marine and coastal conditions, the degradation by corrosion of low-alloyed steels is generally observed. In order to overcome such important corrosion problems, the use of thermal spray coatings made of noble materials may be an attractive solution. 316 stainless steel thermal spray coating, an iron alloy coating, is often considered for corrosion protection because of its low material cost. Also, the high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) is often the selected coating process because it is known to provide coatings with a very low porosity level preventing the corrosive media to reach the substrate. The present paper compares the corrosion behavior of wrought 316 stainless steel with sprayed coatings made of the same alloy on 1020 mild steel. The corrosion behavior of materials is studied under salt fog conditions and with electrochemical techniques in brine simulating the marine environment. The coatings have been sprayed by HVOF under usual conditions. The results of this study demonstrate that the material behavior with regard to corrosion is process dependent . The HVOF sprayed stainless steel coating is much more sensitive to corrosion than wrought stainless steel. Corrosion product appearing on the samples is not only linked to the corrosion of the substrate by diffusion of the corrosive solution through pores but is also generated by intrinsic corrosion of coating itself. An enhanced sensitivity of the coating with regard to corrosion is attributed to the surface of particles or droplets, which are most likely degraded during the spraying process. However, thermal spray coatings having performances as good as wrought stainless steel can be obtained. In the present work, it is demonstrated that coatings obtained using vacuum plasma spray (VPS) have similar corrosion properties than wrought stainless steel in simulated marine environment. The industries considering corrosion protection of their components in marine environments by the use of stainless steel coatings must be aware of the reliability of their coatings. During the usual HVOF spray process, particles or droplets of stainless steel 316 are subject to important modification leading to a loss of performance against corrosion. Oxidation of alloying elements necessary to obtain a good stainless steel most likely occurs. However, the use of vacuum sprayed stainless steel coatings results to efficient protection against corrosion in marine environment.

Among the WC based cermets coating materials, those using the 10%Co-4%Cr matrix demonstrate excellent wear and corrosion properties. In this paper the erosion behaviors of WC-10%Co-4%Cr HVOF coatings was evaluated under different erosion conditions. The coatings were obtained from the JP-5000 gun using kerosene as fuel and the Diamond Jet gun using propylene and hydrogen. Two types of powder morphology were used: the first type was coarse and angular while the second was smaller, porous and spherical. The coatings were submitted to dry and slurry erosion. Erosion tests were performed at room temperature for both dry and slurry erosion. Dry erosion was evaluated by jet erosion while for slurry erosion, two different tests were performed: Coriolis and jet impingement erosion. Experimental results show that for the same powder, the erosion resistance measured by the Coriolis test exhibits 100% variation while for jet impingement it varies only by 20% depending on gun and spray conditions. The results also show that the powder selection is one of the key factors controlling the coating performance. The selection of powder can affect the Coriolis erosion resistance by more than 300% and the dry and slurry erosion resistance by 75%. The results are analyzed as a function of the processing and coating microstructure.

Recent studies have demonstrated that WC-12Co and WC- 10Co-4Cr coatings were the best performing HVOF coatings against erosion. This paper looks at the influences of the HVOF process parameters for WC-12Co and WC-10Co-4Cr materials on the erosion resistance of the coatings. The effect of powder morphology, matrix chemistry and HVOF process parameters with respect to both silica slurry erosion and alumina dry erosion has been studied. All coatings were produced using the HVOF JP-5000 system with kerosene-oxygen flame. The spraying parameters were analyzed in term of sprayed particle velocity and temperature as measured with the DFV2000 optical diagnostic system. Simultaneously with in-flight particle measurements, the substrate-coating temperature was monitored by infrared pyrometry during coating deposition. The resulting coating microstructure was evaluated in terms of microhardness, porosity type and extent of wear damage after dry and slurry erosion. The material volume loss under various erosion conditions was related to the coating properties and microstructure. According to the experimental results, the following conclusions are drawn: 1) the kerosene flow rate affects the inflight particle state (velocity and temperature) and the coating porosity. 2) Cobalt-chrome matrix cermet performs better in slurry erosion while denser and harder cobalt matrix cermet performs better in dry erosion. 3) The use of kerosene-rich flame with lower oxygen stoichiometry reduces the carbide degradation and optimizes the wear performance of WC-12Co coatings in both dry and slurry erosion.

The HVOF technology is well known to provide a wide variety of coating materials having excellent performance characteristics under different aggressive conditions such as wear, erosion by impact of particle and corrosion. Carbides, as a family, constitute a big segment of materials used by the thermal spray industry. Although their material properties may be well known since they are often used in wear or corrosive-wear industrial applications, aqueous corrosion of such coatings are not well characterized. Moreover, thermal spray process technology being in constant evolution, past literature on these coatings may not be directly applicable as newer produced coatings have higher adhesive and cohesive strength. Recent technology allows a better control on density and oxides content that are important parameters to consider for corrosion applications. The success of a coating is related to judicious material selection for various applications. However, the choice of the starting materials for producing a coating is often difficult since there is a lack of data on the corrosion performance of thermal spray coatings. The present paper addresses the performance of various carbide HVOF coatings in terms of corrosion rate and degradation mode in two corrosive environments — HCl and HNO3. Behavior of the coatings is compared using bulk SS316 and SS316 HVOF coating as a benchmark.

Four high velocity thermal spray guns were evaluated in the production of 10%Co-4%Cr tungsten carbide cermets. Three HVOF guns (the JP-5000, JP-5000ST and DJ-2700) and one plasma gun, (the Mettech Axial III) were used to spray the same angular, agglomerated and crushed WC-10Co-4Cr powder. The DPV-2000 was used to monitor the in-flight velocity and temperature of the WC cermet sprayed particles. From those values, spray conditions were selected to produce coatings that were evaluated in terms of porosity, hardness and deposition efficiency. Results show that the plasma Axial III provides the highest particle temperature, between 2000°C and 2600°C, depending on the spray conditions. The JP-5000 imparts the highest velocity to the particles, between 550 m/s and 700 m/s, depending on the spray conditions. The ST version of the JP-5000 provides the same velocity as the standard version but with lower particle temperature. The DJ-2700 sprays particles with temperature and velocity between those of the JP5000 and the Mettech Axial III. Minimum porosity values of 2.1%, 3.7% and 5.3%) were obtained for the JP-5000, the DJ-2700 and the Axial III guns respectively. The porosity and carbide degradation are found to mostly depend on the particle velocity and temperature respectively. The values for the Vickers microhardness number (200g) ranged from 950 to 1250. Measurements of the deposition efficiency indicated a variation between 10 and 80%o, depending on the spray conditions and the gun used.

Novel thermal spray technologies must be thoroughly tested before they can replace the existing processes. In order to reproduce the properties of the accepted coatings, numerous test pieces must be sprayed and characterized by many different combinations of the available spray parameters. The method is time-consuming and often not very efficient. In this paper, a different approach is considered, whereby the state of the sprayed particles is characterized during the flight. The main objective is to examine the possibility to spray particles with similar in-flight characteristics with two different plasma guns in order to spray similar coatings with both guns. It is observed that the SM-F100 plasma gun can produce similar yttria stabilized zirconia particle jets as those sprayed with the F4-MB gun with 50% less electric power. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

Arc spraying can be used to produce coatings to protect against wear and tear against erosion. This paper presents some results obtained within the core research program of the NRC Technology Group in Surface Engineering on the development of erosion-resistant coatings. A relationship is established between the volume loss of the material (performance) under different erosion conditions and the coating properties or the microstructure. The results show that the wear behavior of the arc-sprayed materials depends on the type, size and impact strength of the impacting eroding particles. It is observed that for soft materials, even if ductile tearing is an active mode of degradation, the brittle behavior of intersplat oxides also plays an important role. For harder materials, this brittle delamination of splats becomes the dominant erosive mechanism, as can be observed on the worn surfaces. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

Improvement of the high velocity oxy-fuel deposition (HVOF) process in the last decade has led to coatings with significant improved microstructures for better protection against wear and corrosion. HVOF coatings of cermet and metallic materials provide protection against erosion and are therefore good alternatives to the use of high-priced material. This paper presents the results of a study undertaken within the core research program of the National Research Council of Canada technology group in surface engineering, "SURFTEC", in which the performance of ten HVOF erosion-resistant coatings were evaluated under both dry and slurry erosion. Ten different types of HVOF coatings were studied including: six grades of WC with either Co or a Ni based matrix, one grade of Cr3C2 in a Ni-Cr matrix, and three grades of metallic alloy: Ni alloy, Co alloy and a SS 316-L. Coatings performance was evaluated with respect to the volume ratio and composition of metallic binder in carbide coatings, type of carbide, coating microstructure, impinging angle and the size of the erodent particles. All coatings were produced using the HVOF IP5000 system controlled by the Hawcs-II controller. Slurry jet erosion tests were conducted using a 10 %w/w alumina particle/water slurry. Two alumina particle sizes, 320 and 80 grit (nominal grain diameters 35 μm and 200 μm, respectively) were used. The nominal impact velocity of the slurry was 15 m/s and the nozzle-specimen distance 100 mm. Dry erosion tests were conducted using 50 μm diameter alumina particles projected onto coated flat test coupons through a carbide nozzle of diameter 1.14mm with a particle velocity of 84 m/s at a feed rate of 2 ±1 g/min. let impingement angles of 90° and 20° were used for both dry and slurry erosion tests. The volume loss of material under various erosion conditions was related to the coating properties and microstructure. Results indicate that the coating behavior is dependent on the erodent particle size, the erosion impinging angle to some extent and for slurry erosion, to the corrosion resistance of the cermet matrix.

For applications in which two contacting surfaces are in constant motion relative to each other, materials that are both wear resistant and non-abrasive are often required. Such attributes become even more important when the moving contact occurs with no liquid lubricants present to facilitate sliding. In the present study several WC-based coatings deposited using the HVOF process and containing one or more metal constituents as the binder (or matrix) phase were evaluated to determine their performance under conditions cf sliding wear. Image analysis of the coatings indicated a level of porosity of less than 1%. Hardness measurements found that values for the Vickers microhardness number were in the range of 1100-1500. For the wear tests, the test couple consisted of a coated ring (thrust washer type design) rotating against a stationary carbon disk. For each test, the contact load, speed of rotation and duration were controlled. During the test, the temperature of the carbon disk and the torque were recorded using a data acquisition system. This data was used to determine the coefficient of friction for each couple which, together with the results of measurements of weight change, provided a measure of the comparative performance of the various coatings. The preliminary results indicated that the values for the coefficient of friction for the various couples ranged from 0.15 to 0.29. The three coating compositions consisting of lONi-WC, 12Co-WC and 17Co-WC were found to out-perform other WC-based materials in these sliding wear tests.

Improvement of the high velocity oxy-fuel deposition (HVOF) process in the last decade has enhanced the microstructure of coatings in order to better perform against wear and corrosion. Indeed cermet and metal HVOF coatings are reliable and have excellent performance under slurry erosion and provide therefore an alternative to the use of high-priced material. This paper presents the results of a study undertaken within the core research program of the National Research Council of Canada technology group in surface engineering, "SURFTEC", in which the performance of ten HVOF erosion-resistant coatings was evaluated. Ten different types of HVOF coatings were studied including: six grades of WC with either Co or a Ni based matrix, one grade of Cr 3 C 2 in a Ni-Cr matrix, and three grade of metallic alloy: Ni alloy, Co alloy and a SS 316- L. The performance of coatings was evaluated with respect to: the volume ratio and composition of metallic binder in carbide coatings, type of carbide, coating microstructure, impinging angle and the size of the erodent particles. All coatings were produced using the HVOF JP-5000 system controlled by the Hawcs-ll controller. Slurry erosion tests were conducted with a jet impingement rig with a 10 %w/w alumina particle/water slurry. The volume loss of material under various slurry erosion conditions was related to the coating properties and microstructure. Results indicate that the behavior of HVOF sprayed materials is dependent on the erodent particle size, to the erosion impinging angle to some extent and to the corrosion resistance of the cermet matrix.

Two grades of stainless steel, 316 and 440-C, in the form of solid wire, and two cored wires, Duocor and 95-MXC, were used. Coatings were made using the Miller BP-400 and TAFA 9000 systems. Slurry jet erosion tests were conducted using a 10 %w/w alumina particle/water slurry. Two alumina particle sizes, 320 and 80 grit (nominal grain diameters 35 μm and 200 μm, respectively) were used at impinging angles of 90° and 20°. The nominal impact velocity of the slurry was 15 m/s and the nozzle-specimen distance 100 mm. The volume loss of material under various slurry erosion conditions was related to the coating properties and microstructure. Results indicate that the wear behavior of arc sprayed materials is dependent on the erodent particle size; for large erodent particle size, the relative erosion is almost independent of the impinging angle, while for the smaller particle size the angle effect is the dominant factor. This behavior can be related to the lamella structure and the relative toughness of the different phases of the coatings.

Steel reinforcement corrosion is one of the most serious causes of the premature deterioration of North American bridges and parking garages. Carbon steel rebars are very vulnerable to corrosion in salt contaminated concrete from deicing or coastal environment since the chloride ions induce severe corrosion as they reach the reinforcing steel rebars and depassivate the carbon steel. This paper evaluates the potential of using stainless steel coatings as a means to protect steel rebars from corrosion, especially in a salt contaminated concrete environment. The 316 L stainless steel coated coupons and rebars were prepared using Arc-sprayed and HP/HVOF processes. The corrosion performance of coatings were evaluated using linear polarization, a.c. impedance and salt spray techniques. Metallographic examination was also performed to characterize the coating microstructure.