Thermal barrier coatings typically consist of a ceramic topcoat and a metallic bond coat that promotes adhesion and protects the substrate from corrosion. This study evaluates surface preparation processes used prior to the application of the bond coat layer. In the experiments, NiCrAlY bond coats are plasma sprayed onto Inconel substrates prepared by various methods, including dry and wet blasting and solid CO 2 cryogenic cleaning. At different points in the process, samples are extracted and characterized based on surface roughness, subsurface hardness, morphology, adhesion, interface contamination, and coating thickness and structure. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

Engine pistons are working components subjected to very high wear actions, mechanical and thermal stresses; moreover they can suffer damages due to pinking. Many solutions have been proposed, but there is still a large margin of improvement and strong efforts are made for improving performances and service life, taking into account for the requirements of fuel composition and of environment. Advantages can be obtained by the utilization of thermal spray coatings as protection against corrosion and pinking damages; on this matter the evolution of thermal spray processes and techniques offers suitable means. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the possibility to coat with NiCr alloys or with austenitic stainless steel (AISI 316L) the surface of engine pistons made by Al alloys. Coating layers, with thickness in the range of 200 ÷400 µm, have been sprayed, using Plasma Spray processes, on samples for metallographic investigation end test and on pistons directly. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy analyses were carried out on the cross sections to examine the microstructural features, while the hardness properties have been evaluated by means of both surface and cross-sectional measurements. Bend test is in progress to get information about the coating strain as well as about adhesion of the coating to the substrate. Finally the tested coatings have been applied directly on pistons and these are being tested on the test bench, evaluating the improvement of the service life.

The appropriate selection of bulk materials and coatings of valve components, is an important factor for the economic success of oil and gas production activities in petrochemical field. Materials and coatings are important because particle erosion and surface wear is associated to corrosion by hydrogen sulphide during oil and gas flow. The wear of high pressure valves of gas system will lead to pollution, safety problem and cost increases. The most popular solution of these problems is the deposition of hard material like tungsten carbide or chromium carbide by thermal spray. Particularly these coatings are deposed by HVOF (High Velocity Oxygen Fuel) to obtain a very high hardness with excellent cohesion and adhesion. Tungsten carbide cobalt-chromium based coating, chromium carbide nickel-chromium coating as well as Inconel 625 are adopted actually in the specifications of the industrial petrochemical companies and their behavior and wear, erosion and corrosion properties are reported in literature. This paper addresses the study and surface analysis and characterization of alternative coatings such as NiAl and composite material WC / intermetallic compounds containing mainly Ni, Cr, Co and Mo. The best parameters to produce these coatings has been found by implementing a DOE and the obtained coatings have been systematically submitted to corrosion and functional tests based on the determination of the behaviour of the thermal spray coatings in an atmosphere of H 2 S and CO 2 [1] and to wear and erosion test according to ASTM G75-95; removed material weight and usured surface damages have been determined. Furthermore the coatings have been completely characterized before and after the tests from the point of view of the structure (porosity, coating cohesion and adhesion, hardness, wear) and of the surface properties by means of a prototype 3- dimensional stylus micro-topography surface analysis system. Their corrosion and functional behaviour have been finally compared with the behaviour of the above mentioned coatings applied at present as standard in the petrochemical sector. The results state that WC/intermetallic compound could be a good substitute of IN625 for certain kind of application where good antierosion behaviour is requested.

Thermal barrier coatings are gaining considerable importance for the improvement the energetic efficiency of turbines. These materials are often applied on the surface of blades and are based on a layer of antioxidation material (mainly MCrAlY alloys) and a top layer that acts as proper thermal barrier (normally Yttria partially stabilized Zirconia). Coating removal is an important aspect in the production of these blades. "Decoating" or "stripping" is needed for the production of new components as well as for the reconditioning of existing ones. The present paper is dedicated to the comparison of different stripping methods and to the characterization of the blades surface after removal of thermal spray coatings both of Zirconia and of MCrAlY. The results reported here show that chemical stripping is particularly suitable for MCrAlY coating removal and does not affect the substrate. Water jet stripping can successfully be used for Zirconia-MCrAlY system removal although care is needed to avoid substrate damage. Salt bath technologies have been formed to be effective for TBC removal but not for MCrAlY removal.

The present work has the purpose of comparing different thermal spraying techniques, namely axial plasma spray, standard air plasma spray and high velocity oxygen flame (HVOF), for depositing metal matrix composites, in this case chromium carbide nickel-chromium based. The quality of the coatings deposited by these three techniques has been assessed in terms of structural characteristics (porosity, oxide concentration, unmelted particles presence, etc.) and of mechanical characteristics (hardness, adhesion, etc.) as well as surface morphology. A specific efficiency test has been carried out to compare the three examined technologies. The results of the present study indicate that, against a slightly decrease in the quality of the film in terms of structural and mechanical properties, axial plasma sprayed coatings can be sprayed with a higher efficiency in comparison to the traditional technologies.

In the aerospace field as well as in the stationary gas turbine field, thermal sprayed coatings are used to improve the surface properties of Nickel-super-alloys materials. Coatings are commonly used as bond coat and antioxidation materials (mainly MCrAlY alloys) and as thermal barrier coatings (mainly Yttria partially stabilized Zirconia) In the present study, our purpose was to assess the properties of thermally sprayed bond coat CoNiCrAlY comparing the performance of three different techniques: Vacuum Plasma Spray (VPS), High Velocity Oxygen Flame (HVOF) and Axial Plasma Spray (AxPS). The quality of the deposited films has been assessed and compared from the point of view of structural (porosity, oxide concentration, unmelted particles presence) and mechanical characteristics (hardness, adhesion). Furthermore, a study of the surface composition and morphology has been carried out. Specific efficiency trial has been carried out to compare the efficiency of the three examined technologies. We observed that the highest quality films are obtained by VPS, but that also HVOF and AxPS sprayed films have interesting properties which can make their use interesting for some applications in view of the lower cost of HVOF and AxPS.

Thermal spray deposited Zirconium oxide (or Zirconia, ZrO2) is used in several industrial sectors for various purposes: as thermal barrier for turbine blades, as wear and corrosion resistant coating in industrial applications as well as biomedical applications. This paper reports the results of a study aimed at determining the relation between the plasma spray process conditions and the coating properties. A 24-1 fractional factorial Design of Experiments has been used and the coatings have been characterised in terms of chemical composition, crystal lattice structure and mechanical properties (morphology, porosity, roughness, hardness). Coatings with different characteristics have been obtained depending on the spray parameters combination. We found that it is possible to vary the spraying parameters in such a way to obtain dense, compact Yttria Partially Stabilised ZrO2 deposits which can be useful as wear and corrosion resistant coatings. In other conditions less dense and more porous layers can be obtained, useful for thermal barrier applications.

In order to be suitable for food processing application, besides having the usual characteristics as high adhesion, high cohesion, high compactness and maximum hardness and wear resistance, the thermal spray coating should not release foreign substances, as prescribed by the international standards. This paper defines a very strict procedure according to valid EC and FDA standards in order to test the compatibility of the coating with the food. It discusses the applicability of this test method, in which a contact is created between a food-simulating solvent and the thermally sprayed coating to be analyzed. The inert nature of the drawn migration cell, the adopted time-temperature conditions and the characterization of the coating before and after the migration test are discussed. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

Zirconia and Hydroxyapatite obtained by means of Plasma Spray deposition process are candidate coating materials for use in advanced industrial applications as in wear resistance and thermal barrier coatings and biomedical applications respectively. This paper deals with the test methodology for the analysis or evaluation of some physical and mechanical properties of zirconium oxide and hydroxyapatite coatings that have been applied by vacuum plasma spraying. Results of quantitative tests are presented based on the measurement of thickness, coating/substrate interface condition, porosity, coating microstructure, surface topography and microhardness. The main phases of the experiments, the choice of instruments and their application domain, the test methodology and procedure, specimen preparation and test conditions are discussed as applied to test cases. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

The paper discusses the testing methodology and identifies the analytical protocols, with proper validation, in order to evaluate the compatibility of thermal spray coatings in the food production technology, according to EU and FDA applicable standards. A brief state-of-the-art analysis of the international standards on food additives and human health is given, namely on indirect food additives (as defined in 21 CFR 170.3(e)), that can migrate into the food during the process. An outline of the test protocols, based on contact between coating and food simulating solvents in a set time/temperature conditions, are presented, and the main phases for the proposed testing methodology, as the choice of the simulating solvent, the migration cell design and the time/temperature conditions, are discussed. Finally the proposed methodology and protocols are validated through a thermal spray coating for food process application test case.