HVOF-sprayed HAp/S53P4 BG composite coatings on an AZ31 alloy for potential applications in temporary implants

Bioactive thermal spray coatings produced via high-velocity oxygen fuel spray(HVOF)from hydroxyapatite(HAp)and bioactive glasses(BG)have the potential to be employed on temporary implants due to the ability of both HAp and BG to dissolve and promote osseointegration,considering that both phases have different reaction and dissolution rates under in-vitro conditions.In the present work,75%wt.HAp-25%wt.S53P4 bioactive glass powders were HVOF-sprayed to obtain HAp/S53P4 BG composite coatings on a bioresorbable AZ31 alloy.The study is focused on exploring the effect of the stand-off distance and fuel/oxygen ratio variation as HVOF parameters to obtain stable structural coatings and to establish their effect on the phases and microstructure produced in those coatings.Different characterization techniques,such as scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,were employed to characterize relevant structural and microstructural properties of the composite coatings.The results showed that thermal gradients during coating deposition must be managed to avoid delamination due to the high temperature achieved(max 550℃)and the differences in coefficients of thermal expansion.It was also found that both spraying distance and oxygen/fuel ratio allowed to keep the hydroxyapatite as the main phase in the coatings.In addition,in-vitro electrochemical studies were performed on the obtained HAp/S53P4 BG composite coatings and compared against the uncoated AZ31 alloy.The results showed a significant decrease in hydrogen evolution(at least 98%)when the bioactive coating was applied on the Mg alloy during evaluation in simulated body fluid(SBF).

Study on the Attack of Molten Silicates on Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thermal barrier coating (TBC) revolutionized the industry by allowing higher operating temperatures for equipment, such as gas turbines in the aeronautical industry. However, at high temperatures, the TBC is exposed to the attack of molten silicates, known as CMAS (Calcium-Magnesium-Alumino-Silicate), which are particles from the environment that infiltrate the TBC, causing delamination. In this study, samples coated with TBC by thermal spray and covered with CMAS were evaluated at temperatures of 1200˚C and 1250˚C. For each temperature, exposure times of 1 h and 5 h were used. Samples with longer exposure time had a considerable volume increase. The main contribution of this work was to demonstrate the non-wettability of the CMAS, even in the 5-h heat treatments, which prevented its infiltration in the deeper regions. The conditions to guarantee the formation of the silicate and its consequent wettability are also discussed.

Deformation Behavior of Nanostructured Ceramic Coatings Deposited by Thermal Plasma Spray

Al2O3-13 wt pet TiO2 coating deposited by direct current plasma spray consists of nanostructured region and micro-lamellae. Bend test shows that the ceramic coating can sustain some deformation without sudden failure. The deformation is achieved through the movement of nano-particles in the nanostructured region under tensile stress.

Cavitation and electrochemical characteristics of thermal spray coating with sealing material

Steel applied in ocean environment is exposed to corrosion and cavitation and is subject to increasing damages. To prevent this, anti-corrosion thermal spray coating technique is widely used. The low-temperature thermal spray coating was performed with 85%Al-14.5%Zn-0.5%Zr for ship materials and various sealing materials were applied to improve its durability, and the electrochemical behavior and cavitation characteristics were observed. The results show that the sealing improves all the properties of the materials. Hybrid ceramic and fluoro-silicon sealing materials show good electrochemical characteristics, and the fluoro-silieon sealing material shows the best anti-cavitation characteristics.

Effect of thermal cycle on Ni-Cr based nanostructured thermal spray coating in boiler tubes

Ni-Cr based nanostructured feedstock powder was prepared by mechanical milling technique involving repeated welding, fracturing, and re-welding of powder particles in a planetary ball mill. The milled nanocrystalline powders were used to coat carbon steel tubes using high velocity oxygen fuel（HVOF） thermal spraying process. The characterization of the feedstock powder and HVOF coated substrates was performed using optical microscope, X-ray diffractometer（XRD）, scanning electron microscope（SEM）, high resolution transmission electron microscope（HR-TEM）, energy dispersive spectrometer（EDS） and microhardness tests. The coated and uncoated samples were subjected to different thermal cycles and characterized for their phase changes, metallurgical changes and microhardness variations. Ni-Cr nanostructured coated samples exhibited higher mechanical and metallurgical properties compared to their conventionally coated counter parts. The results showed that the nanostructured coating possessed a more uniform and denser microstructure than the conventional coating.

Effects of F-Si sealer on electrochemical characteristics of 15%Al-85%Zn alloy thermal spray coating

Most hulls of the ships are protected with paintings, sacrificial anode, and impressed current cathodic protection methods against corrosion problems. However, these conventional methods are not very effective because the rudder of ships stern are exposed to very severe corrosive environment such as tides, speeds of ships, cavitations and erosion corrosion. The environmental factors such as cavitation and corrosion will cause damage for materials with the shock wave by the creation and destruction of bubble. To solve these problems, the cavitation and electrochemical experiments are executed for thermal spray coating with Al-Zn alloy wire material. Thereafter, and sealed specimens with F-Si sealer on Al-Zn alloy coated specimen are executed to improve electrochemical and anti-cavitation characteristics in sea water. The application of fluorine silicon sealing after spray coating of 15%Al-85%Zn seems to be appropriate not only in static environment but also in dynamic environment.

Premature failure induced by non-equilibrium grain-boundary tantalum segregation in air-plasma sprayed ZrO_(2)-YO_(1.5)-TaO_(2.5)thermal barrier coatings

ZrO_(2)-YO_(1.5)-TaO_(2.5)(ZYTO)is a promising top-coat material for thermal barrier coatings(TBCs).The bulk properties of ZYTO have been reported by several studies,but its performances as TBCs are less-well understood.In this work,ZYTO TBCs were prepared by air plasma spraying(APS)and their thermal cycling performances were investigated at 1150℃.Despite of the good bulk properties,APS ZYTO TBCs present an extremely short thermal fatigue life.This is attributed to the non-equilibrium grain-boundary segregation of TaO_(2.5) induced by limited solubility and rapid quenching during APS process,resulting in a tetragonal(t)to cubic(c)and metastable-tetragonal(tm)phase transformation in ZYTO TBCs.The volume shrinkage(~0.74vol%)of phase transformation leads to many cracks at the c/tm phase boundaries after deposition.On the other hand,the formation of cubic phase with massive grain-boundary Ta segregation induces a large intergranular embrittlement and a weak bonding strength(~5.3 MPa),resulting in the premature failure of the ZYTO TBCs.

Investigation on plasma-sprayed ZrO_2 thermal barrier coating on nickel alloy substrate

The thermal barrier coatings with NiCrAlY alloy bonding layer, NiCrAlY Y 2O 3 stabilized ZrO 2 transition layer and Y 2O 3 stabilized ZrO 2 ceramic layer are prepared on nickel alloy substrates using the plasma spray technique. The relationship among the composition, structure and property of the coatings are investiga ted by means of optical microscope, scanning electronic microscope and the experiments of thermal shock resistance cycling and high temperature oxidation resistance. The results show that the structure design of introdu cing a transition layer between Ni alloy substrate and ZrO 2 ceramic coating guarantees the high quality and properties of the coatings; ZrO 2 coatings doped with a little SiO 2 possesses better thermal shock resistance and more excellent hot corrosion resistance as compared with ZrO 2 coating materials without SiO 2 ;the improvement in performance of ZrO 2 coating doped with SiO 2 is due to forming more dense coating structure by self closing effects of the flaws and pores in the ZrO 2 coatings.

Improving Wear Resistance of the Ni-base Thermal Spray-Welding Coating Using Rare Earths

By adding rare earth alloy and cerium oxide, the effect of rare earths on tribological properties of nickel base alloy layer was studied to approach the possibility of applying rare earths to Ni base thermal spray welding coating. Wear test results showed that the wear rates of the nickel base coating without rare earths were quite high, and the load bearing capacity of coating was low, in contrast, the wear rates of the coating with rare earths were low and the coating had higher load bearing capacity. The results show that rare earths can refine the structure of nickel base alloy, improve the interface of the coating and substrate.

Thermal Spray Coating of Tungsten for Tokamak Device

Thermal spray, such as direct current （d.c.） plasma spray or radio frequency induced plasma spray, was used to deposit tungsten coatings on the copper electrodes of a tokamak device. The tungsten coating on the outer surface of one copper electrode was formed directly through d.c. plasma spraying of fine tungsten powder. The tungsten coating/lining on the inner surface of another copper electrode could be formed indirectly through induced plasma spraying of coarse tungsten powder. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） was used to examine the cross section and the interface of the tungsten coating. Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-ray （EDAX） was used to analyze the metallic elements attached to a separated interface. The influence of the particle size of the tungsten powder on the density, cracking behavior and adhesion of the coating is discussed. It is found that the coarse tungsten powder with the particle size of 45-75μm can be melted and the coating can be formed only by using induced plasma. The coating deposited from the coarse powder has much higher cohesive strength, adhesive strength and crack resistance than the coating made from the fine powder with a particle size of 5μm.

Microstructural features and properties of plasma sprayed YPSZ/NiCrAlY thermal barrier coating (TBC)

The plasma sprayed thermal barrier coating (TBC) consists of NiCrAlY bond coating and yttria partially stabilized zirconia (YPSZ) top coating. NiCrAlY coating mainly contains Ni solid solution with face centered cubic lattice, Al_2O_3 oxides and pores. The most obvious feature of YPSZ coating with tetragonal zirconia is a lot of vertical microcracks in this coating. The thermal insulation capability of the TBC increased with an increase in YPSZ coating thickness, the temperature drop across the TBC increasing from 60℃ to 92℃ with increasing YPSZ coating thickness from 100 μm to 500 μm. The thermal shock resistance of the TBC decreased with increasing YPSZ coating thickness and cracks initiated mainly in original vertical microcrack tips of the YPSZ coating and propagated not only along YPSZ coating/ NiCrAlY coating interface but also through NiCrAlY coating. The oxidation process of the TBC at 1 200℃ can be divided into two stages: transient oxidation stage with rapid oxidation rate and steady oxidation stage with slow oxidation. Their transition time was about 10 hours. The weight gain for 100 hours was 3.222 mg/mm2. It is favorable to increase YPSZ coating toughness and to decrease the pores and oxides of the TBC system for improving thermal shock resistance and oxidation resistance of the TBC.

Characterization of functionally graded ZrO_2 thermal barrier coatings sprayed by supersonic plasma spray with dual powder feed ports

The functionally graded thermal barrier coatings （FG-TBCs） with 80%ZrO2-13%CeO2-7%Y2O3 （C-YSZ）/NiCoCrAlY were prepared using a recently developed supersonic plasma spraying（S-PS） with dual powder feed ports system. The thermal shock experiment of FG-TBCs specimens was carried out by means of the automatic thermal cycle device, in which the samples were heated to 1200℃ by oxygen-acetylene flame jet then water-quenched to ambient temperature. The temperature—time curves of specimens and photographs can be watched on-line and recorded by a computer during the test. The results show that the totally 1mm-thick FG-TBCs have excellent thermal shock resistance due to the fact that the coatings have no any peeling-off after 200 thermal cycles. The microstructures and morphologies of FG-TBCs were characterized and analyzed by SEM.

Microstructure and Properties Characterization of WC-Co-Cr Thermal Spray Coatings

WC-Co-Cr coatings are widely employed due to their improved wear resistance and mechanical properties, however, the properties and performance of these coatings are compromised by the processing parameters of each spraying technique. Therefore, this study is aimed to evaluate and determine the effect of the deposition parameters on the properties and microstructural characteristics of WC-Co-Cr coatings using a more economical thermal spray technique. In particular, the influence of flame spray parameters on the microstructure, crystal structure, hardness, and sliding wear resistance of WC- Co-Cr coatings was examined. Two parameters were considered: Type of flame (reducing, neutral and oxidizing), and the spray torch nozzle exit area. Results indicated that WC particles undergo considerable degree of decarburization and dissolution during spraying, showing substantial amounts of W2C, W, and Co3W3C, for all the considered conditions. However, the extent of phase transformation depended largely on the flame chemistry. The microstructure of the coatings was mainly affected by the spray nozzle. Regarding the sliding wear behavior, the coatings with uniform distribution of hard particles provided the best wear resistance. The decomposition of WC into W2C phase seems to have meaningless significance in the mass loss, nevertheless, the WC phase transformation to metallic tungsten and η-phase (Co3W3C) produce higher wear rates due to deficiency of carbide particles and embrittlement of the binder phase which induces cracking and delamination of the splats.

Enhancement of Corrosion Resistance of NiCrFeBSi Coatings Obtained by Flame Thermal Spray Process Adding an Electroless Nickel Coating Ni-P

Flame Thermal Spray (FTS) coatings frequently show some porosity and reduced adherence to substrate, which affect its properties, especially its corrosion resistance. In this work, the corrosion resistance of AISI 1018 carbon steel coated by different methods is compared: electroless nickel (EN) coating, NiCrFeBSi obtained by FTS, duplex coatings of an EN deposit on a layer of NiCrFeBSi obtained by FTS and a layer of NiCrFeBSi on an EN deposit. The coatings were characterized using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques, EDS microprobe microanalysis, roughness as well as electrochemical polarization tests to obtain the corrosion rate. The results show the enhancement in the corrosion resistance in saline medium of the duplex coatings, especially of the EN coating on FTS layer.

Thermal stability and mechanical properties of thick thermal barrier coatings with vertical type cracks

The thermal stability and failure mechanism of thick thermal barrier coatings(TBCs) with and without vertical type cracks were investigated through the cyclic thermal exposure and thermal-shock tests. The TBC systems with thickness of about 2000 μm in the top coat were prepared by an air plasma spray(APS) on the bond coat of about 150 μm in thickness prepared by APS. The adhesive strength values of the as-prepared TBCs with and without vertical type cracks were determined to be 24.7 and 11.0 MPa, respectively, indicating the better interface stability in the TBC with vertical type cracks. The TBC with vertical type cracks shows a better thermal durability than that without vertical type cracks in the thermal cyclic exposure and thermal-shock tests. The hardness values of the as-prepared TBCs with and without vertical type cracks were found to be 6.6 and 5.3 GPa, respectively, which were increased to 9.5 and 5.5 GPa, respectively, after the cyclic thermal exposure tests. These results indicate that the vertical type cracks developed in the top coat are important in improving the lifetime performance of thick TBC in high temperature environment.

Overview on the Development of Nanostructured Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thermal barrier coatings （TBCs） have successfully been used in gas turbine engines for increasing operation temperature and improving engine efficiency. Over the past thirty years, a variety of TBC materials and TBC deposition techniques have been developed. Recently, nanostructured TBCs emerge with the potential of commercial applications in various industries. In this paper, TBC materials and TBC deposition techniques such as air plasma spray （APS）, electron beam physical vapor deposition （EB-PVD）, laser assisted chemical vapor deposition （LACVD） are briefly reviewed. Nanostructured 7-8 wt pct yttria stabilized zirconia （7-8YSZ）TBC by air plasma spraying of powder and new TBC with novel structure deposited by solution precursor plasma spray （SPPS） are compared. Plasma spray conditions, coating forming mechanisms, microstructures,phase compositions, thermal conductivities, and thermal cycling lives of the APS nanostructured TBC and the SPPS nanostructured TBC are discussed. Research opportunities and challenges of nanostructured TBCs deposited by air plasma spray are prospected.

Microstructural analysis and hot corrosion behavior of HVOF-sprayed Ni–22Cr–10Al–1Y and Ni–22Cr–10Al–1Y–SiC(N) coatings on ASTM-SA213-T22 steel

The present paper deals with the investigation of microstructure and high-temperature hot corrosion behavior of high-velocity oxy fuel(HVOF)-produced coatings. Two powder coating compositions, namely, Ni22Cr10Al1Y alloy powder and Ni22Cr10Al1Y(80 wt%;microsized)–silicon carbide(SiC)(20 wt%;nano(N)) powder, were deposited on a T-22 boiler tube steel. The hot corrosion behavior of bare and coated steels was tested at 900°C for 50 cycles in Na2SO4–60 wt%V2O5 molten-salt environment. The kinetics of corrosion was established with weight change measurements after each cycle. The microporosity and microhardness of the as-coated samples have been reported. The X-ray diffraction,field emission-scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray mapping characterization techniques have been utilized for structural analysis of the as-coated and hot-corroded samples. The results showed that both coatings were deposited with a porosity less than2%. Both coated samples revealed the development of harder surfaces than the substrate. During hot corrosion testing, the bare T22 steel showed an accelerated corrosion in comparison with its coated counterparts. The HVOF-sprayed coatings were befitted effectively by maintaining their adherence during testing. The Ni22Cr10Al1Y–20 wt%SiC(N) composite coating was more effective than the Ni–22Cr–10Al–1Y coating against corrosion in the high-temperature fluxing process.

Influence of heat treatment on microstructure and tribological properties of flame spraying Fe–Ni–Al alloy coating

The Fe-based coatings in powder form were deposited on a steel type E335 by flame spraying technique.The effects of the post heat treatment on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of sprayed coatings were studied.Post heat treatment was conducted in a furnace in air at 623 K,823 K and 1023 K for 1 h and then cooled in air.The results showed that with the increase of annealing temperature,the microstructure of coating treated at 823 K and 1023 K had several changes as follows:the reduction of porosity,formation of carbides and oxides.It was found that the solid solution FCC(Fe,Ni),intermetallic compound AlFe3 and carbides[Fe,C]were the main phases for coatings as-sprayed and treated at 623 K and while iron carbide,molybdenum carbide and oxide as Fe3O4 became the main phases and reinforced the solid solution FCC(Fe,Ni)phase for annealed coatings at 823 K.However,it was observed the disappearance of molybdenum carbide and oxide Fe3O4 at 1023 K.The coating annealed at 823 K exhibited an excellent wear resistance than the as-sprayed and annealed coatings at 623 K and 1023 K and shows the lower wear rate than another coating treated or as sprayed.

Microstructural and mechanical properties of thermal barrier coating at 1400℃ treatment

Abstract The mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coating （TBC） play a vital role in governing their lifetime and performance. This work investigated the microstructural and mechanical properties of TBC with high tem- perature treatment at 1 400℃ by scanning electron microscopy and indentation. We calculated elastic modulus and hardness through the application of Weibull statistics analysis. The results indicate that the microstructure of ceramic coat- ing will change continuously at high temperature, and accordingly the porosity decreases due to the grain growths and crack closes. In addition, the elastic mod- ulus and hardness nonlinearly go up with the heat treatment time and go down with increasing porosity. This demonstrates that the microstructural evolution and porosity of TBC are caused by high temperature treatment, and as a result its mechanical properties are influenced.

Effect of substrate materials on rutile crystalline orientation in plasma-sprayed TiO2 coatings

TiO2 coatings are of technical importance owing to their promising applications to photocatalytical, electrical, optical and tribological coatings. Thermal spraying process has been widely used to deposit both metallic and nonmetallic coatings. During thermal spraying, spray particle at fully or partially melted condition is projected to a substrate and subsequently flattens, rapidly cools and solidifies. Therefore, a coating in lamellar structure is usually formed as a quenched microstructure. TiO2 coatings were deposited on different substrates through plasma spraying with fused-crushed powder in rutile phase as feedstock to reveal the crystalline orientation in the coatings. XRD results show that the coatings consist of rutile phase with a fraction of anatase phase, and the rutile phase presents a preferable crystalline orientation along [101] direction. It is found that the orientation factors of rutile phase in the thin coatings are significantly influenced by substrate materials. The thick coatings yield the same orientation factors of 0.22 to 0.23 on all substrates in spite of substrate materials. It is considered that the thermal properties of substrate materials are the dominant factors for the preferable crystalline orientation in rutile phase within plasmasprayed TiO2 coating.