Advance and Application of Thermal Spraying in Machinery Maintenance

Thermal spraying has reached a status of its own technical discipline in engineering and become an important industrial technology in China. This paper deals with the latest developments of thermal spraying equipment and processes as well as their application in China in recent years. In addition, five kinds of powders were used for plasma spraying to renovate worn parts of heavyduty vehicles and a simple and convenient optimizing method for process parameters of plasma spraying was studied. As a result, the service lives of renovated parts by plasma spraying were increased 2.77 to 8.33 times and an existence of a practical power input Wo was confirmed.

Thermal sprayed WC-Co coatings and their mechanical properties

HVOF thermal spraying tests were carried out for thermal spraying the coatings with two kinds of cermet powders,which are microstructured Sulzer Metco Diamalloy 2004 WC-12%Co powders and nanostructured WC-12%Co powders.The microstructures of the as-prepared WC-12%Co coatings were then characterized by using XRD analyzer and SEM.The mechanical properties of the two coatings were evaluated by microhardness test,bend test,cup test,tensile test and abrasive wear test.The results showed that the mechanical properties of WC-12%Co coatings sprayed with nanostructured WC-12%Co powder is higher than that of coatings sprayed with microstructured WC-12%Co powders,and the reasons were discussed.

Corrosive-wear and Electrochemical Performance of Laser Thermal Sprayed Co30Cr8W1.6C3Ni1.4Si Coating on Ti6Al4V Alloy

Co30Cr8W1.6C3Ni1.4Si coatings were fabricated on Ti6Al4V alloy using a laser thermal spraying(LTS).The surface and cross-section morphologies,phases and bonding strength of obtained coatings were investigated using scanning electronic microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and scratch test,respectively.The effects of laser power on the coefficients of friction(COFs)and corrosive-wear behaviors of Co30Cr8W1.6C3Ni1.4Si coatings were investigated using a wear tester in 3.5%NaCl solution,and the electrochemical corrosion performance was analyzed using an electrochemical workstation.The experimental results show that the Co30Cr8W1.6C3Ni1.4Si coating is bonded with the substrate in the metallurgical form,and the bonding strengths of Co30Cr8W1.6C3Ni1.4Si coatings fabricated at the laser power of 1000,1200,and 1400 W are 76.5,56.5,and 55.6 N,respectively.The average COFs of Co30Cr8W1.6C3Ni1.4Si coatings fabricated at the laser power of 1000,1200,and 1400 W are 0.769,0.893,and 0.941,respectively;and the corresponding wear rates are 0.267×105,0.3178×105,and 0.325×105μm3/Nm,respectively,which increases with the increase of laser power,the wear mechanism is primarily abrasive wear.The corrosion potential of Co30Cr8W1.6C3Ni1.4Si coatings fabricated at the laser power of 1000,1200,and 1400 W is-0.05,-0.25,and-0.31 V,respectively,higher than-0.45 V of substrate which enhances the electrochemical corrosion resistance of substrate.

The Effect of Chemical Composition and Thermal Sprayed Method on the Chromium and Tungsten Carbides Coatings Microstructure

The microstructure, phase consistence and microhardness of thermal sprayed coatings were investigated. The tungsten and chromium carbide coatings and also composite NiCrSiB coating were analyzed. The microstructure of coatings were observed by using optical microscopy (MO), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Almost equiaxial carbide particles settled inside the surrounded material of coating were found. The cracks propagating thorough the particles and along boundaries between the particles and surrounded material were observed. This phenomenon was connected with the porosity of coatings. The decarburization process was detected in coatings by phase composition investigation using X-ray method. The decarburization process was the reason due to which beside initial Cr3C2 the Cr7C3 and Cr23C6 particles were found. In the tungsten coatings beside the initial WC carbides the W2Cones were found.

Microstructure studies of air-plasma-spray-deposited CoNiCrAlY coatings before and after thermal cyclic loading for high-temperature application

In the present study, bond-coats for thermal barrier coatings were deposited via air plasma spraying（APS） techniques onto Inconel 800 and Hastelloy C-276 alloy substrates. Scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, and atomic force microscopy（AFM） were used to investigate the phases and microstructure of the as-sprayed, APS-deposited Co Ni Cr Al Y bond-coatings. The aim of this work was to study the suitability of the bond-coat materials for high temperature applications. Confirmation of nanoscale grains of the γ/γ′-phase was obtained by TEM, high-resolution TEM, and AFM. We concluded that these changes result from the plastic deformation of the bond-coat during the deposition, resulting in Co Ni Cr Al Y bond-coatings with excellent thermal cyclic resistance suitable for use in high-temperature applications. Cyclic oxidative stability was observed to also depend on the underlying metallic alloy substrate.

Tribological Behavior of Thermally Sprayed WC Coatings under Water Lubrication

Thermally sprayed coatings have been used in various fields of industry for enhancing surface characteristics of materials and extending their service life. The contact surface of some mechanical equipment such as the fine pulverization equipment which is used in the woody biomass production process is required to have wear resistance in the water environment. Thermally sprayed coatings would be a good candidate to improve surface wear resistance under water lubrication. The objective of this study was to evaluate the tribological performance of thermally sprayed coatings under water lubrication. Thermally sprayed coatings which were classified into WC, WB and Ni spraying of three categories were compared with water-lubricated sliding test at a sliding velocity of 0.02 m/s and mean pressure of p0 = 10 MPa with a ring-on-disk apparatus. Thermally sprayed coatings showed comparatively high friction coefficient and well wear resistance under water lubrication. WC contained coatings showed better wear resistance than WB and Ni coatings. Thermally sprayed coatings showed obviously different mechanical properties and tribological behaviors, and the effect of wettability and hardness on tribological characteristics was discussed under water lubrication. Friction coefficient increased as the surface contact angle of thermally sprayed coatings increased. The wear rate decreased as the surface hardness of thermally sprayed coatings increased. Wear resistance of thermally sprayed coatings was excellent under water lubrication. WC contained coatings showed lower wear rate than WB and Ni coatings. WC-14CoCr coating showed the lowest wear rate.

Development of single pendulum impact scratch test for evaluating of thermally sprayed coatings

The adhesion of thermally sprayed coatings is an important subject for engineers applying thermal spray process . The single pendulum impact scratch test is the most popular method in the tribological investigation of modified surfaces of materials. In this paper, the adhesion of thermally sprayed coatings has been investigated using this test method. The key of evaluation for thermally sprayed coatings is the sheer strength of coatings obtained in the test. The results show that the test method is reproducible, reliable and easy to perform, and does not require expensive equipment . The procedure proposed in the test method for evaluating the adhesion of coatings is more reliable and realistic than others.

Application of WC cermet sprayed composite coating in hot-dip galvanizing lines

With the rapid development of the automobile industry, the use of galvannealed and galvanized steel sheets in automobiles is on the rise. These sheets must meet very high surface quality requirements. The surface treatment of line rolls is known to have a great impact on strip quality. To prevent dusts such as zinc ash from pressing into the strip surface, we used a composite thermal spray surface treatment technique to treat rolls. The successfully developed tungsten carbide （WC） ＋ Ni-P composite plating technology improved the quality of the tungsten carbide thermally sprayed WC roll surface. This technique is also helpful to control defects such as adhered foreign materials in hot-dip galvanized automobile outer panel surfaces.

Measurement of thermal expansion coefficient of nonuniform temperature specimen

A new technique is developed to measure the longitudinal thermal expansion coefficient of C/C composite material at high temperature. The measuring principle and components of the apparatus are described in detail. The calculation method is derived from the temperature dependence of the thermal expansion coefficient. The apparatus mainly consists of a high temperature environmental chamber, a power circuit of heating, two high-speed pyrometers, and a laser scanning system. A long solid specimen is resistively heated to a steady high-temperature state by a steady electrical current. The temperature profile of the specimen surface is not uniform because of the thermal conduction and radiation. The temperature profile and the total expansion are measured with a high-speed scanning pyrometer and a laser slit scanning measuring system, respectively. The thermal expansion coefficient in a wide temperature range （1000 - 3800 K） of the specimen can therefore be obtained. The perfect consistency between the present and previous results justifies the validity of this technique.

Influence of in-flight particle characteristics and substrate temperature on the formation mechanisms of hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu coatings prepared by supersonic atmospheric plasma spraying

Hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu coatings were prepared by supersonic atmospheric plasma spraying to enhance the surface performance of lightweight alloys.To find out optimum process conditions and achieve desirable coatings,this work focuses on the influence of three important parameters(in-flight particle temperature,impact velocity,and substrate temperature)on the collected splats morphology coatings microstructure and microhardness.Results show that appropriate combinations of temperature and velocity of in-flight particles cannot only completely melt hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu particles especially the primary Si phase,but also provide the particles with sufficient kinetic energy.Thus,the optimized coating consists of 98.6%of fully-melted region with nanosized coupled eutectic and 0.9%of porosity.Increasing the substrate deposition temperature promotes the transition from inhomogeneous banded microstructure to homogeneous equiaxed microstructure with a lower porosity level.The observations are further interpreted by a newly developed phase-change heat transfer model on quantitatively revealing the solidification and remelting behaviors of several splats deposited on substrate Besides,phase evolutions including the formation of supersaturatedα-Al matrix solid solution,growth of Si and Al_(2)Cu phases at different process conditions are elaborated.An ideal microstructure(low fractions of unmelted/partially-melted regions and defects)together with solid solution,grain refinement and second phase strengthening effects contributes to the enhanced microhardness of coating.This integrated study not only provides a framework for optimizing Al-Si based coatings via thermal spraying but also gives valuable insights into the formation mechanisms of this class of coating materials.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Fe-based Amorphous Composite Coatings Reinforced by Stainless Steel Powders

In this study,a few Fe-based amorphous matrix composite coatings reinforced with various portions(4,8 and16 vol.%) of 31 6L stainless steel powders have been successfully produced through high velocity oxy-fuel(HVOF) spraying.The microstructure of the composite coatings was systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The main structure of composite coatings remained amorphous while 31 6L stainless steel splats were distributed homogeneously in the amorphous matrix and well connected with surrounding amorphous phase.Bonding strength of coatings to the substrate was determined by 'pull-off' tensile tests.The results revealed that the31 6L stainless steel phase effectively improved the bonding strength of amorphous coatings,which is mainly contributed by the strong metallurgical bonding between stainless steel and amorphous splats.The addition of31 6L stainless steel also enhanced the ductility and fracture resistance of the coatings due to the ductile stainless steel phases,which can arrest crack propagation and increase energy dissipation.

The Application and the Prospect of Remanufacturing Technologies in the Metallurgical Industry

Metallurgical equipment is subjected to severe working conditions and the components suffer from various types of physical damages such as abrasion,corrosion and crack. Advanced surface engineering technologies and resistant coatings on the damaged surface can improve surface properties, extend service lives, reduce maintenance costs and improve product quality in the metallurgical industry. This paper introduces remanufacturing technologies, including electroplating, overlaying welding, thermal spraying and laser surface cladding and their applications in the metallurgical industry, and analyzes the development tendency and prospect of remanufacturing technologies.

Corrosion Resistance of Ti_3Al/BN Abradable Seal Coating

Ti–Al mixed powder（Ti：Al = 3：1 in atomic ratio） and Ti3 Al intermetallic alloy powder mechanically clad hexagonal BN to fabricate Ti Al/BN and Ti3Al/BN composite powders. The corresponding porous abradable seal coatings（named as TAC-1 and TAC-2, respectively） were deposited using vacuum plasma spray（VPS） technology, and their corrosion behavior was studied via salt spray corrosion and electrochemical tests. Phase compositions and microstructures of these coatings before and after corrosion were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM） facilitated with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer（EDS）. The results showed that spontaneous passivation of TAC-1 and TAC-2 granted the coatings excellent corrosion resistance than that of commercial Al/BN coating. Additionally, TAC-2 exhibited higher corrosion potential（Ecorr） and breakdown potential（Ebp） but a lower corrosion current density（icorr） than TAC-1. A small quantity of the corrosion product（Al（OH）3and Al O） could be detected on the surface of TAC-1, while no corrosion product appeared in TAC-2. The non-uniform elements distribution in the metal matrix of TAC-1 resulted in localized corrosion and relatively poor corrosion resistance compared to TAC-2.