Superhydrophobic surfaces are of great importance in many industrial applications, especially where components are exposed to wet environments and low temperatures. Texturing of surfaces to reach superhydrophobicity can be achieved by thermal spraying technology, which is an attractive coating method as it is cheap, flexible and can employ a large range of feedstock materials. In this study, ceramic reinforced metal matrix composite (WC-CoCr) powders were sprayed using High Velocity Air Fuel method. They were varied based on their powder parameters such as carbide grain size, binder grain size and powder strength. The purpose was to investigate their hydrophobic characteristics and how these are influenced by different roughness profiles. The wetting properties such as contact angle and contact angle hysteresis were first investigated for the as-sprayed coatings. The roughness properties and Hausdorff Dimension were then related to the wetting properties. Aside from as-sprayed coatings, the effect of roughness and inherent wetting characteristics were studied by investigating the coating surface after grit blasting and polishing. Results show that powder parameters can lead to designing surfaces with higher surface roughnesses and thus having higher contact angles. It was also shown that surface composition of cermets has an impact on wettability, with the binder accounting for wetting characteristics and carbides accounting for roughness.

Lowering the thermal energy and increasing the kinetic energy of sprayed particles by newly developed HVAF systems can significantly reduce material decarburization, and increases sliding wear and corrosion resistance of hard metal coatings, making HVAF coatings attractive both economically and environmentally over its HVOFs predecessors. Two agglomerated and sintered feedstock powder chemistries, respectively WC-Co (88/12) and WC-CoCr (86/10/4), with increasing primary carbides grain size from 0.2 to 4.0 microns, have been deposited by the latest HVAF-M3 process onto carbon steel substrates. Respective dry sliding wear behaviours and friction coefficients were evaluated at room temperature via Ball-on-disk (ASTM G99-90) wear tests against Al 2 O 3 counterparts, and via Pin-on-disk (ASTM G77-05) wear tests against modified martensitic steel counterparts in both dry and lubricated conditions. Sliding wear mechanisms, with formation of wavy surface morphology and brittle cracking, are discussed regarding the distribution and size of primary carbides. Corrosion behaviours were evaluated via standard Neutral Salt Spray (NSS), Acetic Acid Salt Spray (AASS), accelerated corrosion test and electrochemical polarization test at room temperature. Optimization of coating tribological properties are discussed regarding the suitable selection of primary carbide size for different working load applications.

This work assesses the feasibility of using a high-velocity airfuel (HVAF) gun both to grit blast and spray substrate surfaces. A design of experiments (DoE) approach was used to establish relationships between grit blasting variables, substrate surface conditions, and coating properties. Alumina was selected as the abrasive media, the substrates were HSLA steel, and CrC-NiCr and Fe-based powders were used to form the coatings. Uncoated and as-sprayed substrates were characterized based on hardness, residue levels, surface roughness profiles, and adhesion strength, which are correlated with mesh size, feed rate, offset angle, and standoff distance.

Two agglomerated and sintered powders, WC-Co and WC-Co-Cr, were deposited by HVAF spraying and evaluated based on material decarburization, coating porosity, and microhardness. The role of carbide grain size, contiguity, and binder mean free path is investigated with respect to coating microstructure and wear and corrosion resistance.

This study evaluates an internal diameter HVAF spray system and compares coatings characteristics obtained with WC and Cr 3 C 2 based powders with those achieved via standard HVAF spraying. Coating microstructure, phase composition, hardness, roughness, and corrosion resistance are investigated and the potential for further optimization is discussed. It is also shown that the new system can be used for grit-blasting as well as spraying.

The present study deals with the production and characterization of Ti-6Al-4V coatings produced by cold spraying. All experiments were performed using nitrogen as the process gas. By systematic variation of spray parameters up to a nitrogen gas temperature of 1000 °C and pressure of 5 MPa, the coatings could be tuned for optimum mechanical properties. Attainable coating properties are described in terms of a newly introduced coating quality parameter based on the ratio of particle velocity to critical velocity. The new parameter, η, is used both to interpret and predict coating properties.

This paper presents the results of a preliminary study comparing high-velocity oxyfuel and airfuel spraying for the deposition of tungsten carbide coatings as an alternative to electrolytic hard chrome plating. Two tungsten carbide powders with a Co matrix and two with a Co-Cr matrix were sprayed on steel substrates using commercial HVOF and HVAF equipment. The coatings obtained are evaluated by means of SEM and XRD analysis, microhardness and adhesion measurements, and corrosion and wear resistance testing. Detailed results are presented and discussed with emphasis on the role of carbide grain size, carbide contiguity, and binder mean free path. In general, HVOF coatings show significantly higher dry wear resistance, owing to the presence of coarser primary carbides from the initial coarser powder. HVAF coatings, on the other hand, exhibit lower porosity and finer well-distributed primary carbides, giving them an advantage in terms of sliding wear resistance.

Within Surface and Coating Technologies, the High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) thermal spray process generates significant peening stresses due to the impact at high velocity of semi molten particles onto the substrate. The level of high kinetic and thermal energy of impinging particles is a key-parameter to understand how residual stresses build up through the whole system during spraying, and to which extend these stresses influence the resulting coating adhesion strength. While an appropriate combination of thermal and peening stresses is beneficial to the deposit bonding, no systematic study has been carried out to determine their respective amplitudes. A numerical Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been developed to isolate peening stresses from thermal stresses developed into the substrate target, after successive impacts of single particle. The investigation is performed on Inconel 718 feedstock material HVOF sprayed on Inconel 718 substrate. The relationship between the developed stress state at the substrate interface and the impinging particle temperature and velocity is given a particular interest.

Fundamental understanding of relationships between process parameters, particle in-flight characteristics and adhesion strength of HVOF sprayed coatings is important to achieve the high coating adhesion that is needed in aeronautic repair applications. In this study statistical Design of Experiments (DoE) was utilized to identify the most important process parameters that influence adhesion strength of IN718 coatings sprayed on IN718 substrates. Special attention was given to the parameters combustion ratio, total gas mass flow, spray distance and external cooling, since these parameters were assumed to have a significant influence on particle temperature and velocity. Relationships between these parameters and coating microstructure were evaluated to fundamentally understand the relationships between process parameters and adhesion strength.

Residual stress build up in thick thermal spray coatings is a property of concern. The adhesion of these coatings to the substrate is strongly influenced by the residual stress generation during the coating deposition process. In the HVOF spray process, due to lower processing temperature and higher particle velocity as compared to plasma spraying, significant peening stresses are generated during the impact of semi molten particles on the substrate. The combination of these peening stresses together with quenching and cooling stresses that arise after deposition can be of significant importance. In this paper both a numerical finite element analysis (FEA) method, to calculate peening, quenching and cooling residual stresses, and experimental methods, as Modified Layer Removal Method (MLRM) and Neutron Diffraction analysis, are applied. The investigation is performed for thick Inconel 718 coatings on Inconel 718 substrates. Combined, these numerical and experimental techniques yield a deeper understanding of residual stress formation and a tool for process optimisation. The relationship between the stress state and deposit/substrate thickness ratio is given particular interest.

Thermally sprayed Inconel 718 coatings have been deposited by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying on Inconel 718 substrates. The aim of the on-going study is to understand and control the adhesion mechanisms and the residual stress state of the deposit/substrate system, in order to build up thick coatings for maintenance purposes. The coating adhesion strength was evaluated by the standard ASTM C633 tensile test. Coating shear strength was evaluated by the recently developed prEN15340 Shear Test. A modified Layer Removal Method (MLRM) test was carried out to measure residual stresses. The work is a part of an ongoing study for evaluation of relationships between process parameters, residual stress distribution and adhesion strength.