The ability of suspension plasma spraying (SPS) to overcome difficulties associated with feeding of fine (submicron or nano-sized) powders and achieve more refined microstructures than possible in atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) is well established. In recent times, the use of axial injection plasma spray systems has yielded substantial enhancement in deposition rates/efficiencies due to improved thermal exchange between the plasma plume and injected feedstock. The present paper describes utilization of both the above advances in plasma spraying to create various function-dependent coating architectures through simultaneous and/or sequential spraying of hybrid powder-suspension feedstock. A specific variant of such hybrid axial plasma spraying that enables deposition of composite coatings by simultaneous injection of a powder and a suspension is discussed in particular detail. Results obtained using an Al 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 material system as a case study reveal that composite coatings combining the micron-size features arising from the spray-grade Al 2 O 3 powder and submicron or nano-sized features attributable to the ZrO 2 suspension can be conveniently realized. The surface morphology, microstructure, and composition of these coatings, as well as their tribological behaviour determined using scratch and ball-on-disc tests, are presented herein. The utility of this method to develop a wide array of composite coatings is also discussed.

Cavitation and corrosion on hydrodynamic components and systems reduces the operational efficiency. The use of wear resistant coatings have been studied as a solution to the problem of corrosion and cavitation in the industrial environment. Thermal spray processes are recognized as excellent technique to deposit coatings. The high velocity oxy-fuel process (HVOF) can produce high density and bond strength coatings. High velocity air-fuel process (HVAF) is an alternative process, shown to be superior regarding corrosion protection and production costs. HVAF can deposit coating with shorter dwell time and lower temperature, producing coating with lower oxide content. This paper presents the use of HVOF and HVAF process to deposit FeCrMnSiNi and FeCrMnSiB coatings, studying the resistance against corrosion and cavitation in comparison to 316L HVOF coating. Microstructure was analyzed by XRD, microscopic means and mechanical testing. Cavitation and corrosion behavior of the coatings were also studied comparatively. HVAF coatings presented lower porosity and oxide levels, as well as higher hardness values, compared with the coatings deposited by HVOF process. The HVAF process presented better cavitation resistance than HVOF coatings. The FeCrMnSiNi HVAF coating had the best corrosion protection performance between the developed alloys.

This study investigates the corrosion resistance Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 /YSZ coatings and a YSZ layer of similar thickness. All coatings were produced by suspension plasma spraying, resulting in a columnar structure. Corrosion tests conducted at 900 °C for 8 h in a molten salt bath show that Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 is not as corrosion resistant as YSZ. Molten salts react with Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 producing GdVO 4 along the surface as well as between the columns of the coating. The formation of GdVO 4 between the columns, in combination with the low fracture toughness of Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 , is likely responsible for the lower corrosion resistance. Furthermore, the presence of another layer of Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 on top of the Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 /YSZ coating, to prevent salt infiltration, did not improve corrosion resistance.

In this study, the current industry standard topcoat for thermal barrier coatings, 8YSZ, is deposited by suspension plasma spraying and its room-temperature erosion resistance is compared with that of SPS sprayed gadolinium zirconate/YSZ and triple-layered GZ dense /GZ/YSZ. A columnar microstructure was observed in both the single- and multi-layered TBCs. Single-layer 8YSZ had a higher erosion resistance than multi-layered GZ/YSZ despite of its higher porosity among the as-sprayed coatings. In the case of the triple-layer coating, the denser top layer helped to slightly improve erosion resistance over that of the GZ/YSZ double-layer TBC.

Many applications of thermally sprayed coatings call for increased fatigue resistance of coated parts. Despite the intensive research in this area, the influence of coating on fatigue is still not completely understood. In this paper, the spatiotemporal localization of crack initiation and the dynamics of crack propagation are studied. The resonance bending fatigue test is employed to test flat specimens with both sides coated. Hastelloy-X substrates coated with classical TBC YSZ/NiCoCrAlY composites were tested. The strain distribution on the coating surface is evaluated by the digital image correlation method (DIC) through the whole duration of the fatigue test. Localization of crack initiation sites and the mode of crack propagation in the coated specimen are related to the observed resonance frequency. The individual phases of specimen degradation, i.e. the changes of material properties, crack initiation, and crack propagation are identified. The tested coatings strongly influenced the first two phases, the influence on the crack propagation was less significant.

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.

The fatigue performance of conventional structural steel with an applied thermal barrier coating (TBC) was evaluated via cyclic bending. Tests were carried out for as-received and grit-blasted substrates as well as for samples with thermally sprayed bond coats and topcoats. Failure mechanisms were identified and changes in fatigue resistance were assessed based on results obtained for different loading amplitudes supplemented by fractographic analysis.

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.

Plasma spraying operations performed with high carrier gas flow rate may improve the coating properties but they can also lead to lump formation and thus coating defects. The damaged work piece must then be stripped and recoated, which implies a considerable waste in terms of coating powder, energy and time. The aim of this study was to determine the cause of the lumps, and propose process modifications for avoiding their formation while keeping the coating quality. Numerical simulations based on 3D turbulent Navier-Stokes equations in local thermal and chemical equilibrium were carried out to understand the problem and estimate the feasibility of the proposed solutions. The computational results were supplemented by experiments for validation. A first set of investigations was focused on the location and orientation of the powder port injector. It turned out that it was not possible to keep the coating quality while avoiding lump formation by simply moving the powder injector. A new geometry of the nozzle exit was then designed and successfully tested for a first application with Ni-5Al powder used in production.