Plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been extensively employed in most aerospace and land based turbine engines, permitting gas temperatures to be raised substantially above those for uncoated systems. Traditional TBC systems are composed of a metallic bond coat and a ceramic top coat both applied by plasma spraying. New deposition techniques have been proposed mainly for the metallic bond coat, like high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) and more recently cold gas spray (CGS). CGS is an attractive technology that generates very dense coatings, without oxidation and maintaining the initial powder microstructure, characteristics that are potentially interesting for bond coat application. In the current study, TBCs with two sets of cold gas sprayed bond coatings were prepared and evaluated in high temperature isothermal oxidation tests. Measurements of sample mass as well as microstructure observations were carried out on the as sprayed and oxidized samples to compare the behavior of different bond coat chemical compositions. As sprayed oxidation degree, structural changes and bonding strength of the samples were also determined.

WC-Co cermet powders were deposited on aluminum substrates by cold gas spraying. XRD tests were run on the powder and coatings to reveal possible phase changes during spraying. Bonding strength, abrasive wear resistance, and corrosion resistance were also measured and are compared with values obtained from HVOF sprayed WC-Co coatings.

This study investigates the impact behavior and consequences for coating formation in cold spraying of FeAl intermetallic compound powder. A range of spraying conditions was used to process single impacts in so-called wipe tests and for processing spray layers. In order to avoid brittle failure, high process gas temperatures and varied traverse speeds were used to account for thermal softening of spray particles and already adhering layers. Morphologies of as-impacted particles and partially removed single splats were subsequently investigated by SEM. The study of spray lines indicates that secondary impacts are only successful within an extremely narrow range of impact conditions. Within this narrow parameter regime, thicker and dense coatings are obtained. Hardness testing shows that the properties of the powders were retained.

This study evaluates a method for producing carbon fiber composite feedstocks suitable for cold gas spraying. Powders consisting of Al-Si particles and carbon nanofibers were attrition milled at 16.5 Hz and 27.5 Hz for up to 12 h at room and cryogenic temperature. Particle shape and size were examined every hour and carbon fiber integration in the Al-Si matrix was assessed. Detailed results are presented and discussed. In all cases, cryomilled powders had smoother surfaces.

The use of ceramic materials in the production of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is one of the most innovative applications of these materials in recent years. The aim of this work is to assess how to obtain a complete, self-assembled SOFC (supported by electrolyte) using atmospheric plasma spray (APS) to spray the three different ceramic layers of the assembly. One of the main problems of SOFC production is the high cost of the process; the hypothesis is that these costs can be reduced by forming the three ceramic layers of the SOFC by APS technology. The anode (YSZ-NiO), cathode (LSM), and electrolyte (YSZ) layers can be produced by APS with reasonable efficiency. Another problem with SOFC manufacture is assembly and adhesion of the three layers; the creation of gradual transition layers by APS improves these aspects of the production process. Chemical and structural characterization of the feedstock powders and resultant ceramic layers was performed by laser scattering, XRD, SEM, and confocal microscopy, and the results confirmed the efficiency of the attained APS-SOFC components.

Iron aluminides have been lately proposed as promising materials for wear applications. Many authors have focused their investigations on the friction behaviour of FeAl coatings emphasizing the role of this intermetallic as a new matrix to embed ceramic particles and replace for high temperature the extensively studied WC-Co cermet system. However, few works deal with the evaluation of the different tribological properties and their relationship with the coating microstructure. Thus, in the present study, the near stoichometric Fe40Al was successfully sprayed by means of HVOF using different spraying parameters and the tribological behaviour was assessed through solid particle erosion, abrasive and dry sliding tests. The wear mechanisms that took place in the produced coatings are discussed with regard to the obtained results. The friction coefficient versus sliding distance was obtained. In addition, isothermally treated samples in air were tested showing both lower friction coefficient and lower wear rate.

Corrosion is a very important problem in the Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator (MSWI) superheaters. This problem causes the plant stops and tube replacements, promoting the loss of energy generation rate. The main corrosion agent is the chlorine deposits. HVOF coatings have been sprayed to improve corrosion resistance of the superheaters inside the MSWI boilers. Inconel 625 and Hastelloy C22 alloys have been sprayed as a powder feedstock material. The spray process has been analyzed by a Spray Watch system that allows carrying out the temperature and velocity measurements of the particles in flight in order to optimize the spraying process. The produced coatings have been characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) to evaluate the porosity and oxidation produced in the spray process. Laboratory oxidation test have revealed the formation of Cr 2 O 3 , NiO and Fe 2 O 3 as corrosion products as well as Microanalysis by Energy dispersion Spectroscopy (EDS) composition profiles have been used to evaluate the penetration of the corrosion front inside the coating. The Nickel alloys show a good resistance in aggressive environment test and can be a good solution for the corrosion problems in the superheater tubes in MSWI.

The Cr 3 C 2 -NiCr coatings were sprayed on an AA 7050-T7 alloy by HVOF Thermal Spray Process using AMPERIT 586.054 powder. The substrate was refrigerated during the sample preparation using liquid nitrogen in a device specially designed for this purpose. The spray conditions were also performed increasing the carrier gas flow or the oxygen flow. The XRD and SEM studies showed well-bounded coating/substrate interface, pores, metallic matrix, chromium oxides, carbides, and carbides dissolution into the matrix. The structure comparison between the samples showed a denser structure due to the increase in the carrier gas velocity and the highest carbide dissolution due to the high temperature achieved during the spray process. All samples showed similar wear abrasive behavior, and all of them showed wear rates 7 times higher than the aluminum alloy. All samples also showed corrosion resistance much higher than the AA7050 alloy in NaCl solution.

Producing nanostructured materials through metastable phases is an interesting novel route in the field of ceramic materials. Due to their small grain size and uniform structure, these nanostructured bulk materials exhibit very interesting properties. Metastable coatings can be produced starting from microstructured powders through atmospheric plasma spray (APS) technique, followed by a quenching route. The initial powders are melted during the spraying and deposited over a substrate that is quenched with liquid nitrogen (LIN) feeders, producing metastable coatings. The thermal sprayed coatings have been characterized using XRD, SEM, FESEM and EDS in the Thermal Spray Centre (CPT) of the University of Barcelona. The properties of such coatings have been also studied obtaining promising results.

This study examines the oxidation performance of two different iron aluminide coatings obtained by means of High Velocity Oxygen Fuel spraying starting from the same feedstock powder but using propylene and hydrogen as fuels. The isothermal oxidation tests were carried out at 900°C for 4, 36 and 72 hours. After detailed observation a more rapid oxide scale growth is obtained for that coating obtained under hydrogen conditions. It leads to the assertion that propylene-coatings would perform better under high temperature environments.

Steel tubes oxidation causes an important problem in Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator plants (MSWI). This work shows a possible solution for this problem through High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) thermal spray coatings. A comparison between powder and wire thermal spray coatings (with the same composition) has been done. These optimised coatings have been compared through their microstructure, wear properties (ASTM G99-90, ASTM G65-91), and erosion-corrosion (E-C) resistance. Results of the different EC tests designed in the Thermal Spray Centre, have been evaluated by X Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Disperse Spectroscopy (EDS). Commercial bulk material with similar composition of Ni Based coatings has also been tested. The protection mechanisms of these materials have been assessed after studying the results obtained by HVOF coatings and bulk material. Ni based HVOF coatings are a promising alternative to the MSWI conventional protection against chlorine environments.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is known to be bioactive, i.e. able to bond to bone. This makes HAp very suitable to be applied as coatings on bone-metallic implants. In this work high velocity oxy-fuel spraying (HVOF) was used successfully for obtaining hydroxyapatite coatings on Ti-6Al-4V substrates. With optimized HVOF process parameters, coatings with similar bond strength to plasma sprayed HAp coatings, good microstructure and higher crystallinity degree than atmospheric plasma sprayed ones were obtained. As-deposited HAp coatings contains amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) that can be crystallized by a heat-treatment of 60 minutes at 700 °C, resulting in a more stable coating when they are immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF).Coating structural characteristics of as-sprayed and post heat treated coatings were analysed with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy analyser (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, in vitro tests were done in order to evaluate the coating response. Surface changes were observed for as-sprayed coating but not after a post heat treatment. Moreover, the strength of the coatings were evaluated after in vitro leaching. The high degree crystallinity of the post heat treated coating improves the adhesion between the coating and the substrate after an in vitro test in a free-protein simulated body fluids (SBF). Consequently a relation between the amorphicity, the in vitro response and mechanical degradation of the coating was found.

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) allow increasing combustion temperatures of gas turbines and diesel engines thus improving the system performance. Residual stresses due to the differences of thermal expansion coefficient between metallic bond coat and ceramic top coat as well as the stresses due to the oxidation of the bond coat and the consequent increase in the thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer lead to ceramic debonding and subsequent failure of the thermal barrier system in service conditions. Extensive research has been carried out to minimize such events by applying multilayered coatings, intermediate diffusion or protective layers and other methods. In this work the TBC systems were obtained by applying distinct bond coats and top coats. The bond coats were applied by High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) and the ceramic top coats were applied by Air Plasma Spraying (APS). Residual stresses were measured by the Modified Layer Removal Method (MLRM). Isothermal high temperature oxidation tests were performed and the results were correlated with the post spraying stress state and the coating thermal history. Results show that the residual stresses are mainly influenced by the thermal history regarding the quenching of individual splats and the plastic deformation of ceramic deposits.

Recent research in the field of nanostructured ceramic materials has underscored the importance of using feedstock powders with metastable phases. During material consolidation the metastable structure evolves into a dual structure where the grain growth stops when the crystallites reach their respective equilibrium grain size. The mutual suppression of the grain growth is a direct consequence of the immiscibility of the two phases in the solid state. Due to their small grain size and uniform structure, the nanocomposites exhibiting very interesting properties, are formed. Metastable structures can be produced using atmospheric plasma spray (APS) technique. The main target of this work has been the synthesis of Al 2 O 3 -TiO 2 metastable powder through atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) and quenching route. The metastable phases have been produced from micron-sized feedstock powders and the effect of different raw powders have also been evaluated. The metastable phases have been characterised by XRD, SEM and FESEM analysis. The availability of producing nanostructured materials through these metastable phases have been studied. The phase and morphology evolution from this metastable phases to nanostructures has been observed.

The results for joints obtained by dynamic diffusion bonding of a 90MnCrV8 high strength steel coated with WC-Co are shown in the present work. This high strength steel substrate was coated with WC-Co, sprayed by HVOF technique (Diamond Jet Hybrid DJH-2700) using propylene as fuel gas at different conditions. The dynamic diffusion bonding was carried out in a high frequency furnace, all joints were made in air. Before doing the joints, the steel was coated with Ni and Cu by electrochemical processes in order to obtain a soft 20 m interlayer of Ni30Cu alloy. Microstructure and reacted zones in the joints were investigated by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Dispersive X Ray Spectrometry (EDX). In all joints different reacted zones can be distinguished, caused by diffusion processes which take place during the joint tests. The mechanical properties of the joints were quantified in a tensile machine, using a constant load of 0.1 MPa·s -1 . All joints broke by the WC-Co coating zone by delamination processes. The fracture surface was studied by SEM-EDX in order to know the fracture mechanism of the joints. The maximum tensile strength obtained confirm a very promising technology for industrial applications.

The use of HVOF to produce surface coatings is much known. However, the spraying of inner parts or using it to reproduce a mold form is not always easy due to the high bonding strength of HVOF coatings. On the other hand, plasma formed parts are being used in the aerospatial industry for many years partly because the ease of the releasing process. Using the experience and the method developed in the CPT some years ago, some new materials have been sprayed to obtain thick axy-symmetrical self-standing forms. The process involves mechanical removal method and for these reason, the mould can be used several times with minimal maintenance. Amongst the releasing methods, the more simple is mechanical but it could turn out to be complex if the adhesion by impingement takes place too strongly. Hence, the impingement of the material is studied in this work. The materials are mechanical blends of WC-Co with Co-based alloys. However, prior to spraying, the most suitable material is chosen for a concrete purpose. The work includes a study of the spraying parameters in the structure and the properties of the coatings. XRD, SEM-EDS, roughness, microhardness, ASTM G 99-90 and ASTM G 65-91 wear test are performed to characterize the samples.

Over the last years, the grain size reduction to the nanometric scale has experienced an increasing interest because of its enhanced properties. This study is based on WC-Co cermet materials, which have a great application in the wear resistance materials field. In the Thermal Spray Center (CPT) of the University of Barcelona, two coatings using nanostructured and bimodal WC-Co cermet powders have been obtained by means of High Velocity Oxygen-Fuel (HVOF) technique. Both were sprayed under the same spraying parameters. Structural characterization for both feedstock materials and coatings have been performed using XRD, SEM and TEM. The friction wear resistance of the coatings has been studied by Ball-on-Disk test (ASTM G99-90), and the abrasive wear resistance has been quantified by Rubber-Wheel test (ASTM G65-91). Finally, the corrosion resistance has been studied by electrochemical techniques and a salt fog spray test. The nanostructured coating shows more hardness, but the bimodal coating shows better abrasive and friction wear resistance. Both coatings shows good corrosion resistance, better than the conventional coatings of WC-Co. The bimodal powder have the added advantage of being not as expensive as the nanostructured powder, and even providing better properties.

Over the last years, interest in thermally sprayed polymer coatings has increased. They have excellent corrosion and chemical resistance properties. Unfortunately, they have some limited properties like scratch and wear resistance. Fillers can be a good solution to improve these properties. In the Thermal Spray Centre of Barcelona, blends of polyamide powder with different contents of boron and silicon nitride have been flame-sprayed and studied. Microstructural characterisation of the composite coatings has been done using Optic and Scanning Electron Microscopies. Wear resistance has been evaluated by means of Ball on Disk (ASTM G99-90) and Rubber Wheel (ASTM G65-91) tests. Salt Spray Fog tests (ASTM B117-90) have been performed in order to evaluate their corrosion resistance.

Due to its oxidation resistance, HVOF thermal sprayed Cr 3 C 2 -NiCr coatings have been widely used for wear resistance at elevated temperatures up to 850ºC. During HVOF spraying deposition, compositional degradation occurs through dissolution of the carbide phase into the metal matrix. The occurrence of carbide dissolution and the high working temperatures affects on the final properties of the coating. The aim of this work is to study the effect on the structure and wear properties at elevated temperatures of Cr 3 C 2 - NiCr coatings using hydrogen as a fuel gas against propylene. The structural characterization was done by SEM-EDS, XRD, and Scanning White Light Interferometry (SWLI). Wear properties at room and high temperatures have been evaluated by Ball-on-Disk (ASTM G99-90). Oxidation resistance of all coatings was carried out using a calorimetric technique Abstract only; no full-text paper available.

Biomaterial coatings must have high degrees of crystallinity and phase purity, good adhesive and cohesive integrity and adequate porosity to promote bone ingrowth. The most used coating method is atmospheric plasma spraying. However, the main drawback of this technique is the generation of an amorphous phase and other calcium phosphate phases after the spraying process, which are not present in the feedstock and are not desirable. The use of HVOF as a process for obtaining hydroxyapatite coatings on Ti-6Al-4V was used successfully. With optimised HVOF process parameters, coatings with similar bond strength to plasma sprayed HAp coatings, good microstructure and higher crystallinity degree than atmospheric plasma sprayed ones where hydroxyapatite was the only crystalline phase present were obtained. Coating characteristics were analysed with XRD, EDS, SEM, FTIR which indicated that the coatings had a high degree of crystallinity and good bond strength. Moreover, in vitro response were also evaluated and the strength of the coating to the substrate.