In this study, hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings were deposited on stainless steel by suspension plasma spraying. Coating samples and suspensions were examined by means of electron microscopy, XRD analysis, and FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the coatings are porous and nanostructured with no impurity phases when low H 2 flow rates are used. They also contain a significant amount of OH - and CO 3 2- , which facilitates the formation of well-crystallized HA and improves bioactivity and compatibility in implant applications.

A detailed examination has been carried out of the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of samples of T91 and T92 steels which have been subjected to both a ‘normal’ pre­service heat treatment and an extended stress relief heat treatment at 765°C for up to 16 hours. The samples have subsequently been creep tested to failure at different stresses ranging from 66 to 112 MPa. In each case, a reduction in rupture time was observed of 20-30% in the samples which had experienced the additional stress relief heat treatment compared to those which had not. It is shown that these data, when compared with the mean values expected from European Creep Collaborative Committee (ECCC) Datasheets, result in a reduction in stress of approximately 10% of the mean value predicted from the ECCC data, which is within the allowable scatter band.