Instabilities in plasma spray jets can result in coatings with inconsistent properties. The arc root fluctuation and shear layer instability due to strong gradients are of foremost concern. The shear layer instabilities result from shear between the high velocity, low density hot core gas, the intermediate density and velocity boundary layer, and the high density quiescent environment. A cold-flow facility with density gradients similar to a plasma torch has been used for implementation of traditional fluid dynamics measurements such as hot-wire anemometry. Methods to control these instabilities are developed and tested using both the plasma torch and the cold flow facility. Through nozzle design modifications the instabilities resulting from arc root fluctuations and high density gradients have been reduced. The effectiveness of the control on the plasma jet is determined using in-flight particle characterization along with high speed imaging and photodiode measurements of the jet.

Instabilities of plasma spray jets have been a source of inconsistencies in coating properties. These instabilities can be minimized through the use of central injection torches or torches with fixed anode attachment. However, any low density ( < ~0.7) jet is globally unstable to small disturbances. Globally unstable jets are characterized by a short potential core, rapid spreading, and high entrainment, all of which are present in a plasma jet. Plasma jets have ratios of jet density to density of the surrounding gas on the order of 0.01, as well as rather low Reynolds numbers and thick boundary layers. In the present work, the instabilities are investigated through analysis of the disturbance growth in the shear layer between the plasma and the cold surrounding gas. These investigations are using two types of experiments, one consisting of a SG 100 spray torch with several optical diagnostic methods being applied to the shear layer analysis. The other experiment simulates the plasma jet at low temperatures by using a helium core jet exhausting into a sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) environment. The simulated plasma jet (SPJ) has a density ratio of 0.03. The simulated plasma jet (SPJ) allows controlled variation of the boundary layer through different fluid dynamic arrangements. It further allows use of diagnostics such as hot wire anemometry and PIV to clearly characterize the shear layer. Some of the characteristics of the shear layer are presented and comparisons between the plasma jet and the simulated plasma jet, and initial results on controlling the jet instability, are discussed. Abstract only; no full-text paper available.

DC plasma spraying has been widely recognized as a quick and economic way to produce all kinds of coatings (metals, alloys, and ceramics) for a variety of applications. There has been a growing interest in using radio frequency (RF) plasmas. Studies have been reported on characterization of plasma-sprayed coatings by TEM, including thermal barrier coatings, alumina coatings, and Ni-Al coatings. There are, however, no detailed studies reported on microstructural comparisons of coatings prepared by RF and DC plasma spraying. In this paper, XRD, SEM, TEM, polarizing OM, four-point bending fracture, and molten particle impact behavior are used to clarify microstructural differences between the RF- and DC-coatings. The results showed that the microstructures were much different for both cases, especially in the interfacial region between the coatings and the substrates. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

The first part of this overview on plasma spraying covers the general behavior of plasma jets generated by d.c. and r.f. plasma torches, including the fluid dynamics of such jets. In the second part, interactions of injected powders with the plasma are considered with emphasis on those processes which dominate heat and momentum transfer from the plasma to the powder particles. Both experimental studies as well as modeling efforts are included in this overview.

Arc voltage fluctuations of a plasma spray torch are primarily an indication of the movement of the arc attachment inside the anode nozzle. These fluctuation have been shown to influence the deposition process. In order to detect changes in the operating conditions which affect coating quality, a method has been developed for on-line analysis of these fluctuations. Voltage fluctuation have been recorded together with light emission fluctuations and with acoustic emissions from the plasma jet and analyzed on-line using a workstation operating with the LabView environment. Anodes with different wear characteristics have been examined in this study. A clear correlation has been found between the changes in the dominant frequencies of all three signals and the conditions of the torch anode and the coating properties. Appearance of a group of frequency peaks in the 2 to 5 kHz range indicates a more unstable plasma jet and is correlated with anode erosion and increased coating porosity. The results of this study provide us with a convenient method to detect coating deterioration due to anode erosion.

This research has focused on characterization of the wire arc spray process with the goal of achieving improved process controls. Arc voltage and current traces have been analyzed on-line using an oscilloscope and a personal computer with LabView software. The characteristic features of the arc voltage fluctuations are correlated with the molten metal droplet formation process using a high speed Laser Strobe video system operating in synchronization with the oscilloscope trigger. Voltage minima occur when larger globules of molten metal leave the wire tip. Analysis of the voltage fluctuations indicate that they are neither random nor periodic, and that they can be described based on chaos theory. This approach may be used for achieving a further understanding of the dynamic nature of the process, and for the development of control algorithms.

The quality of a plasma sprayed coating is influenced by the plasma jet stability; entrainment of cold air through large scale turbulence can lead to variations in particle heating and trajectories resulting in increased unmelt densities, reduced deposition efficiencies, and oxidation of metal particles. The jet instabilities are in part caused by the swirl flow of the plasma gas. With two modifications to an atmospheric pressure plasma spray torch, we have investigated the influence of reduced swirl flow on jet stability, particle trajectories, and coating quality. The modifications are (1) addition of a shroud consisting of a porous ring surrounding the anode nozzle while simultaneously injecting part of the shroud gas inside the nozzle with a swirl component in the direction opposing the plasma gas vortex, and (2) an injector ring with which part of the plasma gas is injected radially and part tangentially producing reduced vortex flow for the same plasma gas flow rate. Jet stability and particle trajectories are determined using a LaserStrobe system combined with image analysis, and coatings have been evaluated by determining porosity and unmelt density. Results indicate that deposition efficiency is most affected by reduced vortex flow, while the shroud addition reduces unmelt density and porosity.

Electric arc spraying with dual wires is an economical coating process finding diverse applications. Turbulence and velocity of an atomizing gas exert strong effects on the droplet formation and therefore on the coating properties. Turbulence intensity of an atomizing gas flow can be estimated by analysis of the waveforms of arc voltage fluctuations, and the velocity can be estimated by the frequency and the amplitude of these waveforms. Higher gas velocities result in higher frequencies and smaller amplitudes of the voltage fluctuations, and in smaller molten droplets leading to coatings with lower porosity but higher oxidation levels. Lower turbulence levels at the electrode tips result in more periodic waveforms with less high frequency content, and in lower oxidation of the coatings. Nozzle configurations such as a converging-diverging nozzle provide higher gas velocities with less turbulence leading to coatings with lower oxidation and lower porosity.

Maximizing dissociated species transport in plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD), is important in many low pressure plasma jet processes. To deposit high quality diamond by low pressure plasma assisted CVD, it is important to maximize the atomic hydrogen transport to the substrate. One route to process improvement is to explore ways in which unstable species transport can be maximized. A two-dimensional computational model of a supersonic contoured nozzle attached to a dc torch will be described for examining the chemical non-equilibrium of the flow. If the fluid dynamic time scales of interest are faster than the kinetic time scales of interest, it is believed that unstable precursor transport can be controlled, improved and optimized. This paper will examine an implicit formulation for the numerical simulation of a multi-component reacting Ar-H 2 plasma. It is found that dissociation, ionization and charge exchange reactions must all be included in a reaction model. The ionic species significantly alter the temperature profiles upstream of nozzle choking. However, to increase the number of hydrogen atoms at the nozzle exit, the arc attachment should be positioned as close as possible to the converging-diverging nozzle throat.

In wire arc spraying, atomizing gas velocity and particle velocity are important factors influencing coating quality. A nozzle with secondary gas injection has been developed to increase the gas velocity and to improve coating quality. In this study, wire arc spraying of stainless steel on aluminum substrates has been investigated with the objective of establishing correlations between atomizing gas velocities, particle velocities, particle sizes and coating bond strength. Cold gas velocity is measured with a Pitot tube. Particle velocities are determined from high speed images of particle streaks taken with a Kodak high speed vision system and evaluated using image analysis. Bond strength is measured with pull-off tensile test. Secondary gas atomization clearly leads to improved adhesion due to additional metallurgical bonding between the coating and the substrate achieved through higher particle temperatures at the moment of impact.