In this study, WC-CoCr coatings are deposited on grit-blasted steel substrates by high-velocity airfuel (HVAF) spraying. A cross-sectional image of the feedstock powder shows that the WC grains are evenly distributed in the Co-Cr matrix. As-sprayed coating cross-sections are examined under different levels of magnification, coating hardness is measured, and coating and powder phases are analyzed by XRD. In addition, the corrosion behavior of coated and uncoated substrates is analyzed and compared with a reference hard chrome coating.

This study investigates the effect of gas composition on the flow characteristics of a three-cathode air plasma torch. A numerical model that couples fluid dynamic, electromagnetic, and thermal relationships is used to simulate temperature and velocity fields at the outlet of the torch. Different gases, including argon, nitrogen, and hydrogen, and gas mixtures are examined in the context of the study. The results show that the use of N 2 or H 2 as a secondary gas improves the output power and efficiency of the torch.

Lightweight gamma titanium aluminide (γ-TiAl) intermetallic alloys have recently found application in low-pressure turbine blades in the aviation industry, but their use is currently limited to around 700 °C due to oxidation. This study evaluates the potential of various multilayer coating systems to increase the operating temperature range of γ-TiAl. The coating systems tested are based on a CoNiCrAlY topcoat for oxidation protection and a YSZ diffusion barrier, both applied by atmospheric plasma spraying using a three-cathode torch. Two bond coats, NiCrBSi and CoNiCrAlY, were also tested. Test specimens with bond coats withstood 1000 h of exposure at 900 °C without delamination and no detectable oxygen at the coating-substrate interface. Samples produced with varying feed rates showed that graded coatings can be achieved using the APS process.

In this study, a ZrO 2 – 7 % Y 2 O 3 (YSZ) powder (-90 +16 µm) was nanostructured by high energy ball milling and sprayed using a modern three-cathode plasma generator TriplexPro- 210 as well as a conventional plasma generator F4MB-XL. The parameters were varied in order to investigate their influence on build-up, microstructure and properties of the thermal barrier coatings (TBC). Powders and coatings were characterized in terms of their morphology, microstructure and phase composition by means of light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray analysis (XRD). Thermo-shock behavior of TBC was evaluated using thermal cyclic tests at 1300 °C and 1150 °C. The results show that the milled powder contained nano-sized particles. TBC from the nanostructured powder by TriplexPro-210 had high porosities and numerous fine pores, leading to lower microhardness and higher thermos-shock resistance than the reference TBC.

Magnesium and magnesium alloys are the lightest structural materials with an approximate density of 1.7 g/cm³ (density of aluminium ~2.7 g/cm³). Due to the poor corrosion and wear resistance properties, they need to be coated for usage in lightweight constructions. AlSi20 was found to be a suitable coating material to improve the properties of parts made of the magnesium alloy AZ31B. Within this work, coatings are applied by thermal spraying, laser cladding and the combination of both processes. These coatings were investigated regarding corrosion protection in 3.5 % chlorine solution in a three electrode setup to obtain electrochemical corrosion characteristics. Abrasive wear was investigated using a pin-on-disc tribometer and abrasion rate was calculated. Resistance against shock loads was tested by applying a cyclic load at 50 Hz in order to investigate the resistance against impact stresses.

The main goal of this work is to improve the coating properties of three-cathode atmospheric plasma sprayed coatings with respect to porosity and residual stresses. This was done by use of numerical simulation coupled with advanced diagnostic methods. A numerical model for the triple injection of alumina feedstock, as well as acceleration and heating of the powder particles in the characteristic threefold symmetrical plasma jet cross section produced by a three-cathode-plasma torch was developed. The modeling results for the standard injector’s position “0” were calculated and experimentally verified by Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA). Based on the criteria defined for concentrated feedstock transport and homogeneous thermal treatment of powder particles in the plasma jet, the optimal injection position was found. In the next step a previously developed, coupled CFD-FEM-simulation model was used for simulations of the coating build-up, describing flattening, solidification and deformation due to shrinkage for alumina particles on a rough substrate surface.

New developments in the field of thermal spraying systems (increased particle velocities, enhanced process stability) are leading to improved coating properties. At the same time innovations in the field of feedstock materials are supporting this trend. The combination of modern thermal spraying systems and new material concepts has led to a renaissance of Fe-based feedstocks. Using modern APS or HVOF systems, it is now possible to compete with classical materials for wear and corrosion applications like Ni basis (e.g. NiCrBSi) or metal matrix composites (MMC, e.g. WC/Co or Cr 3 C 2 /NiCr). The work described in this paper focuses on that combination and intends to give an analysis of the in-flight particle and spray jet properties achievable with two different modern thermal spraying systems (kerosene driven HVOF system K2, 3- cathodes APS system TriplexPro-200/-210) using Fe-based powders. The velocity fields are measured with the Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA). Additionally, resulting coatings are analyzed metallographically with regard to their properties and a correlation with the particle in-flight properties is given. The experimental work is accompanied by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of spray jet and particle velocities, leading to a comprehensive analysis and characterization of the achievable particle properties with state-of-the-art HVOF and APS systems.

In previous work, a thermal spray multilayer system consisting of ZrO 2 and an MCrAlY top coat showed promising results regarding oxidation behavior of the γ-TiAl substrates tested, which encouraged further research activities. Diffusion of substrate material was successfully inhibited by a ceramic ZrO 2 coating. A building up of a dense and stable oxide layer could be achieved by additional application of an MCrAlY top coat, leading to improved oxidation resistance and thus showing feasibility. In this work the main focus for development was put on enhancing adhesion and lowering residual stresses of the coatings in order to allow long term and cyclic testing without delamination taking place. Being a very brittle material, Gamma Titanium Aluminides require special surface treatment to enable roughening which is crucial for a strong mechanical bond between substrate and coating. Alternatives to conventional grit blasting as a standard preparation method were investigated. These were micro-abrasive blasting and blasting at elevated temperature (≈300-550 °C) to allow a more ductile behavior. The paper will highlight the implications by means of these measures and will also show the present development status of the multilayer system.

Zinc coatings are widely adopted for cathodic corrosion protection. Mostly the process of choice is hot-dip galvanizing but due to limitations regarding component size and composition of the galvanizing bath it is not always practicable. In the present paper zinc coatings alloyed with Al, Sn, Mg and Cr are applied by twin wire arc spraying to enhance the corrosion protection ability of zinc thermal sprayed coatings. The alloys were characterized and investigated using salt spray test and by means of electrochemical corrosion. Corrosion damage and products were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA).

Due to excellent mechanical properties and low density compared to super alloys (e.g. Ni-based alloys) Titanium Aluminide is often used as base material in the aerospace industry. But the thermodynamic conditions within turbines limit the capabilities of the material. At the moment γ-TiAl is used for parts, which have to withstand temperatures up to 700 °C. Above this temperature oxidation kinetics cause a thick oxide layer consisting of several oxides, which tend to fast chipping. Therefore the surface of the γ-TiAl is being destroyed and the material loses its excellent mechanical properties. To enable the use of this material at higher temperatures, the development of an oxidation protection coating is necessary. Several coating techniques e.g. EB-PVD were tried in the last years, but the oxidation behaviour of the γ-TiAl could not be significantly improved. Protective thermal spray coatings so far seem to be a promising technology in order to protect γ-TiAl components against oxidation. Therefore this technique was used within this work, which aims for the development of new oxidation protection coatings. A multilayer system was developed. The multilayer consists of a ceramic ZrO 2 -7Y 2 O 3 coating with a NiCoCrAlY top coat. In this case the ceramic coating avoids the diffusion of Ti or Al of the γ-TiAl into the MCrAlY coating or the other way around. The NiCoCrAlY coating improved the oxidation behaviour of the Titanium Aluminide by building a dense oxide layer on top of the multilayer. The paper will give an overview about the results of the oxidation tests with the new developed multilayer concept for protection of the γ-TiAl against oxidation.

Iron based materials are classified as being more health and environmentally friendly as well as cost-effective (material and machining costs) compared to typical materials used for wear protection applications (e.g. cermets). The advantage which is seen in using very fine powders (< 15 μm), is their potential to spray relatively thin, dense near-net-shape coatings with comparable smooth surfaces. This can lead to lower coating as well as machining costs. In this work fine Fe-based powders (-15+5 μm) have been used in order to produce wear resistant coatings for applications in the printing industry by means of air plasma spraying (APS). With regard to oxidation problems of such fine Fe-based materials a shroud for the air plasma spraying system has been developed and deployed. The resulting coatings have been analysed with respect to the microstructure, micro hardness, chemical and phase composition as well as surface roughness (as-sprayed). The economical aspects have also been considered.

The objective of this work is the development and application of Fe-based wear- and corrosion-resistant coatings with uniform density and even coating surfaces. The coatings obtained were analyzed with respect to microstructure, hardness, and surface roughness.

HVOF-sprayed carbide based coatings such as WC/Co or Cr 3 C 2 /NiCr are industrially well established for wear and corrosion protection applications. Due to their high carbide content of typically 75 wt.-% and more, they are providing a very high hardness and excellent wear resistance. Unfortunately costs for matrix materials like Ni or Co underlie strong fluctuations and are significant higher compared to iron. Therefore an alternative concept to the conventional carbides is based on TiC-strengthened low cost Fe-base materials, which are already in use for sintering processes. Depending on the carbon content the Fe-base material can additionally offer a temperable matrix for enhanced wear behaviour. Within this study the sprayability of TiC-strengthened Fe-powders with a gaseous and a liquid fuel driven HVOF-system has been investigated. The resulting coatings have been analysed with respect to microstructure, hardness and phase composition and compared to galvanic hard chrome, HVOF-sprayed and remelted NiCrBSi and HVOF-sprayed Cr 3 C 2 /NiCr (80/20) coatings as well as sintered Fe/TiC reference materials. Furthermore the Fe/TiC coatings have been heat treated to proof the retained temperability of the Fe-matrix after thermal spray processing. For determination of wear properties tribometer tests have been conducted. Currently the corrosion resistance of the sprayed Fe/TiC coatings is investigated as well the wear behaviour in a practical hydraulic test bench.