Non-isothermal Crystallization and Thermal Transformation Behaviors of Plasma Sprayed Fe_(48)Cr_(15)Mo_(14)C_(15)B_(6)Y_(2)Amorphous Coating

The non-isothermal crystallization dynamic behavior and mechanism of plasma sprayed Fe_(48)Cr_(15)Mo_(14)C_(15)B_(6)Y_(2)coating were thoroughly studied.The phase transition and crystallization kinetics of the coating were elaborately investigated by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The findings reveal that the characteristic temperatures of the coating shift to an elevated temperature at a higher heating rate and the crystallization processes are thermally activated.The 3-rd step of crystallization processes is more susceptible to the continuously increased heating rate while the onset crystallization reaction is less sensitive to the continuously enhanced heating rate.Fe_(23)(C,B)_6 phase is inclined to precipitate than other crystal phases due to the substantial pre-generation ofα-Fe.The onset nucleation and growth ofα-Fe crystals is tough due to a higher onset apparent activation energy.Meanwhile,the transformation from Fe_(23)(C,B)_(6)to FeB is harder in comparison with the precipitation of other crystals.The most parts of the three crystallization processes are dominated by three-dimensional diffusion model due to the fact that most values of local Avrami exponent are higher than 2.5.

Effects of Ce in novel bronze and its plasma sprayed coating

A novel aluminum bronze over the Cu-Al binary alloy eutectoid Cu-14Al-4.5Fe was prepared by a jointly-charging one-melting technique and conventional sand casting. The bronze coatings were atmospherically plasma sprayed on the 45# medium carbon steel substrate. The effect of rare earth Ce on the microstructures and Vickers hardness of the cast alloy and coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electronic probe microanalysis, transmission electron microscopy and microhardness measurements. The results indicate that the hardness of both as-cast alloy and coating are enhanced by the addition of 0.6% Ce due to the refinement of κ phases which are well distributed in the matrix. The rapid solidification in the plasma spray processing retains Fe-supersaturated in the Al-bronze alloy coatings, which avoids the formation of eutectoid （α＋γ2） phase and stacking faults are found in the coatings with Ce added, accordingly improves the mechanical properties.

HOT CORROSION OF A PLASMA SPRAYED CoNiCrAlTaSiY COATING

Hot corrosion(HC) of the APS(atomospheric plasma spraying)CoNiCrAlTaSiY coating on a nickel-base superalloy GH864 has been studied. The effect of laser-treatment on hot corrosion resistance was also examined.It was shown that CoNiCrAlTaSiY coating had superior properties in resistance to hot corrosion due to the readiness of the formation of a protective Cr2O3 scale on the coating surface.A model for the mechanism of hot corrosion of this coating has been suggested. Hot corrosion resistance of this coating was significantly increased by the laser treatment simply because the surface of the as sprayed coating was densified by the high power laser beam.

Establishing empirical relationships to predict porosity level and corrosion rate of atmospheric plasma-sprayed alumina coatings on AZ31B magnesium alloy

Plasma sprayed ceramic coatings are successfully used in many industrial applications,where high wear and corrosion resistance with thermal insulation are required.In this work,empirical relationships were developed to predict the porosity and corrosion rate of alumina coatings by incorporating independently controllable atmospheric plasma spray operational parameters(input power,stand-off distance and powder feed rate)using response surface methodology(RSM).A central composite rotatable design with three factors and five levels was chosen to minimize the number of experimental conditions.Within the scope of the design space,the input power and the stand-off distance appeared to be the most significant two parameters affecting the responses among the three investigated process parameters.A linear regression relationship was also established between porosity and corrosion rate of the alumina coatings.Further,sensitivity analysis was carried out and compared with the relative impact of three process parameters on porosity level and corrosion rate to verify the measurement errors on the values of the uncertainty in estimated parameters.

Preparation and properties of supersonic atmospheric plasma sprayed TiB2−SiC coating

With the TiB2−SiC powders after spray granulation and vacuum calcination as raw materials,the TiB2−SiC coating was prepared by supersonic atmospheric plasma spraying(SAPS).The effects of spraying power and spraying distance on the properties of the TiB2−SiC coating were investigated and the fabrication processing of SAPS was optimized.The results show that the sprayed powders after calcination have a uniform particle size distribution,good sphericity and enhanced fluidity.The coating prepared by the calcined powders has a dense structure and high deposition efficiency.When the calcined TiB2−SiC powders are used and the spraying power is 95 kW and the spraying distance is 150 mm during supersonic plasma spraying,the obtained TiB2−SiC coating behaves the best comprehensive performance with the porosity,microhardness,bonding strength and resistivity equal to 5.6%,3.57 GPa,18.3 MPa and 10.8 mΩ·cm,respectively.

Influence of chloride ion concentration on immersion corrosion behaviour of plasma sprayed alumina coatings on AZ31B magnesium alloy

Corrosion attack of aluminium and magnesium based alloys is a major issue worldwide.The corrosion degradation of an uncoated and atmospheric plasma sprayed alumina(APS)coatings on AZ31B magnesium alloy was investigated using immersion corrosion test in NaCl solutions of different chloride ion concentrations viz.,0.01 M,0.2 M,0.6 M and 1 M.The corroded surface was characterized by an optical microscope and X-ray diffraction.The results showed that the corrosion deterioration of uncoated and coated samples were significantly influenced by chloride ion concentration.The uncoated magnesium and alumina coatings were found to offer a superior corrosion resistance in lower chloride ion concentration NaCl solutions(0.01 M and 0.2 M NaCl).On the other hand the coatings and Mg alloy substrate were found to be highly susceptible to localized damage,and could not provide an effective corrosion protection in solutions containing higher chloride concentrations(0.6 M and 1 M).It was found that the corrosion resistance of the ceramic coatings and base metal gets deteriorated with the increase in the chloride concentrations.

Effect of Laser Remelting on the Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance of Plasma Sprayed Fe-based Coating

Fe-based amorphous and nanocrystalline coatings were fabricated by air plasma spraying. The coatings were further treated by laser remelting process to improve their microstructure and properties. The corrosion resistance of the as-sprayed and laser-remelted coatings in 3.5wt% NaC1 and 1 mol/L HCI solutions was evaluated by electrochemical polarization analysis. It was found that laser-remelted coating appeared much denser than the as-sprayed coating. However, laser-remelted coating contains much more nanocrystalline grains than the as-sprayed coatings, resulting from the lower cooling rate in laser remelting process compared with plasma spraying process. Electrochemical polarization results indicated that the laser-remelted coating has great corrosion resistance than the as-sprayed coating because of its dense structure.

Abrasive wear behavior of cast iron coatings plasma-sprayed at different mild steel substrate temperatures

Three kinds of cast iron coatings were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying. During the spraying, the mild steel substrate temperature was controlled to be averagely 50, 180, and 240℃, respectively. Abrasive wear tests were conducted on the coatings under a dry friction condition. It is ibund that the abrasive wear resistance is enhanced with the substrate temperature increasing. SEM observations show that the wear losses of the coatings during the wear tests mainly result from the spalling of the splats. Furthermore, the improved wear resis- tance of the coatings mainly owes to the formation of oxides and the enhancement in the mechanical properties with the substrate temperature increasing.

Laser Remelting of Plasma Sprayed NiCrAlY and NiCrAlY-Al_2O_3 Coatings

Two types of plasma sprayed coatings (NiCrAlY and NiCrAlY-A12O3) were remelted by a 5 kW cw CO2 laser. With increasing laser power and decreasing traverse speed in the ranges of 200-700 W and 5-30 mm/s respectively, the melted track grew in width and depth. In the optimum range of laser parameters, a homogeneous remelted layer without voids, cavities, unmelted particles and microcracks was formed. On the surface of remelted layers, Al203 and YAIO3 were detected. As a result of isothermal oxidation tests, weight gains of laser remelted coatings were obviously lower than that only plasma sprayed, especially laser remelted NiCrAlY-Al2O3 coatings. The effects of laser remelting and incorporation of A12O3 second phase in N1CrAlY matrix on high temperature oxidation resistance were discussed.

Effect of experimental parameters on the micro hardness of plasma sprayed alumina coatings on AZ31B magnesium alloy

Surface treatment of engineering materials has recently become important for serviceable engineering components.Many techniques such as thermal and thermo chemical surface treatments have been used to develop surface characteristics of materials.Hardness is the most important property,which influences considerably service life characteristics of coatings.In this investigation,alumina coatings were deposited by atmospheric plasma spray technique under different levels of power,stand-off distances and powder feed rates.Empirical relationship was developed to predict the micro hardness of alumina coatings by incorporating the plasma spray process parameters.The input power and the stand-off distance appeared to be the most significant two parameters affecting the hardness of the coating among the three investigated process parameters.Further,correlating the spray parameters with coating properties enables the identification of characteristics regime to achieve desired quality of coatings.

Crystallization behavior of plasma-sprayed lanthanide magnesium hexaaluminate coatings

LaMgAl11O19 thermal barrier coatings （TBCs） were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying. The crystallization behavior of the coatings and the synthesis mechanism of LaMgAl11O19 powders were researched. The results showed that the plasma-sprayed coatings conmined some amorphous phase, and LaMgAl11O19 powders were partially decomposed into Al2O3, LaAlO3, and MgAl2O4 in the plasma spraying process. The amorphous phase was reerystallized at a temperature of approximately 1174.9℃, at which level the decomposed Al2O3, LaAl2O3, and MgAl2O4 reacted again. The resynthesis temperature of LaMgAl11O19 in the plasma-sprayed coatings was lower than that of LaMgAl11O19 in the original raw powders. The synthesis mechanism of LaMgAl11O19 powders can be summarized as follows： during the first part of the overall reaction, La2O3 reacts with Al2O3 to form LaAl2O3 at approximately 900℃, and then LaAl2O3 further reacts with Al2O3 and MgAl2O4 to produce LaMgAl11O19 at approximately 1200℃.

Prediction and optimization of process variables to maximize the Young’s modulus of plasma sprayed alumina coatings on AZ31B magnesium alloy

Like other manufacturing techniques,plasma spraying has also a non-linear behavior because of the contribution of many coating variables.This characteristic results in finding optimal factor combination difficult.Subsequently,the issue can be solved through effective and strategic statistical procedures integrated with systematic experimental data.Plasma spray parameters such as power,stand-off distance and powder feed rate have significant influence on coating characteristics like Young’s modulus.This paper presents the use of statistical techniques in specifically response surface methodology(RSM),analysis of variance,and regression analysis to develop empirical relationship to predict Young’s modulus of plasma-sprayed alumina coatings.The developed empirical relationships can be effectively used to predict Young’s modulus of plasma-sprayed alumina coatings at 95%confidence level.Response graphs and contour plots were constructed to identify the optimum plasma spray parameters to attain maximum Young’s modulus in alumina coatings.A linear regression relationship was established between porosity and Young’s modulus of the alumina coatings.

Effects of Heat-treatment on Crystallization and Wear Property of Plasma Sprayed Fe-based Amorphous Coatings

The Fe-based amorphous coatings were produced by air plasma spraying. The as-sprayed coatings were heat-treated at the temperature of 573, 873, and 1 023 K, respectively. The crystallization and wear behavior of the heat-treated amorphous coatings were investigated. It was found that the amorphous- nanocrystalline transformation appeared when the as-sprayed coatings were treated at 853 K. The crystallization process had completed and a coating with microcrystallines was formed when the treatment temperature reached 1 023 K. The resultant amorphous and nanocrystalline composite coatings exhibited superior wear resistance compared to crystalline coating. It is attributed to fine grain strengthening of formed nanocrystallines.

Influence of processing parameters and heat treatment on phase composition and microstructure of plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings

Air plasma spraying process was employed to fabricate various hydroxyapatite(HA)coatings on titanium substrates.The influence of processing parameters on the phase composition and the microstructure of the obtained coatings was investigated.The effect of heat treatment on as-sprayed coating in terms of the crystallinity and microstructure was also studied.The phase composition of coatings was analyzed by X-ray diffraction(XRD)and FTIR.The surface and cross-section morphologies and microstructure of coatings as well as the morphology of feedstock were evaluated using scanning electron microscope(SEM).The crystallization temperature of amorphous HA phase in as-sprayed coating was examined by using differential thermal analysis(DTA). The results suggest that phase composition and microstructure of as-sprayed HA coatings strongly depend on the spraying parameters,and heat treatment at 760 ℃for 2 h is one of effective means for increasing the crystallinity and improvement in microstructure of as-sprayed HA coatings.

Comparative study on corrosion behavior of plasma sprayed Al_2O_3, ZrO_2, Al_2O_3/ZrO_2 and ZrO_2/Al_2O_3 coatings

ZrO2, Al2O3, ZrO2/Al2O3 and Al2O3/ZrO2 coatings were fabricated on low carbon steel using atmospheric plasma spraying technique. The microstructure and phase composition of the as-sprayed coatings were examined by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）, respectively. The polarization test, salt spray test and immersion test were used to investigate the corrosion behavior of the coatings in 3.5% NaCl solution. The results suggested that the bilayered Al2O3/ZrO2 coating exhibits superior corrosion resistance when compared with the other coatings. This is ascribed to the presence of very few interconnected pores and stable phases in the coating.

Microstructures and erosion resistance of plasma-sprayed WCp/NiCrBSi composite coatings

WCp/NiCrBSi composite coatings have been deposited by plasma spraying with the mixed powders of WC-12Ni and NiCrBSi. The coatings consist mainly of WC, γ-Ni, Ni3B, CrB, Cr2B, M7C3, M23C6 and W2C phases. The W2C content increases with increasing WC mass fraction in the powders. The porosity and microhardness of the coatings are related to the coating WC content. The excessive WC results in decreasing the microhardness due to increasing the porosity. The WCp/ NiCrBSi coating with 35 % WC mass fraction powder has more excellent erosion resistance. With an increase of impact angles from 15° to 90° the erosion rate of the coating increases, the erosion rate at 15° impact angle being approximately two times lower than that at 90° impact angle. Based on the wear morphology of the coatings at different impact angles, the wear mechanisms were discussed.

PHOTOCATALYTIC PERFORMANCE OF PLASMA SPRAYED TiO_2-ZnFe_2O_4 COATINGS

A novel TiO2-ZnFe2O4 coating is prepared by plasma spraying. The effects of spra ying parameters and the composition of powders on the microstructure, surface mo rphology and photo-absorption of plasma sprayed coatings are studied. The photoc atalytic efficiency of the as-sprayed coatings is evaluated through the photo mi neralization of methylene blue. It was found that TiO2 coatings can decompose me thylene blue under the illumination of ultraviolet rays, and the degrading effic iency is improved with an increase in the content of FeTiO3 in the coatings. How ever, the presence of large amount of ZnFe2O4 compound will substantially lower the photocatalytic efficiency of the TiO2-ZnFe2O4 coatings for the unfavorable p hoto-excited electron-hole transfer process.

Structure and Oxidation Behavior of a Plasma Sprayed Yttrium Silicates Coated SiC-C/C with a Glass Outer Sealant from 1573K to 1873K

Different compositions of yttrium silicates coatings were deposited on SiC-C/C by plasma spraying and an outer borosilicate glass was applied on the yttrium silicates coatings surfaces. The structure of the multi-layer coatings was characterized by XRD and SEM analyses. High temperature oxidation behavior of the multi-layer coatings coated C/C composites was investigated. Results show that SiC/2SiO2 Y2O3/1.5SiO2 Y203/ SiO2 Y2O3/glass multi-layer coating has better high temperature oxidation resistance, protecting carbon/ carbon composites from oxidation at 1 773 K in air for 164 h with the weight loss of 1.65%. The oxidation weight loss of the coated C/C with time accorded with parabolic rule in the temperature range 1 573 K-1 873 K; and the corresponding oxidation activation energy of the coated carbon/carbon composites is 132.2 kJ/mol.

Performance of plasma-sprayed CuNiIn coatings and Mo coatings subjected to fretting fatigue

During atmospheric plasma spraying,a cooling process usually plays an important role in the coating quality,especially for the oxidation containment of metallic coatings.CuNiIn and Mo coatings were prepared using atmospheric plasma spraying with different cooling processes.The obtained coatings were characterized in terms of microstructure,microhardness and tensile strengths.The relation between the coating microstructure and their fretting fatigue behavior was emphasized.The results show that the sensitivity of Mo coatings to the cooling process is lower than CuNiIn coatings.The resistance to fretting fatigue is determined by the coating microhardness,correlated with the contents of oxides and pores.The fretting wear mechanisms of both the coatings are galling,third body abrasive wear and material transfer.

D.C.Plasma-Sprayed Coatings of Nanostructured Alumina-Titania-Silica

Nanocrystalline powders of w(Al2O3)=95%, w(TiO2)=3%, and w(SiO2)=2%, were reprocessed into agglomerated particles for plasma spraying, by using consecutive steps of ball milling, slurry forming, spray drying, and heat treatment. D. C. plasma was used to spray the agglomerated nanocrystalline powders, and resultant coatings were deposited on the substrate of stainless steel. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the morphology of the agglomerated powders and the cross section of the alumina-titania-silica coatings. Exper-imental results show that the agglomerated nanocrystalline particles are spherical, with a size from (10 - 90)μm. The flow ability of the nanocrystalline powders is greatly improved after the reprocessing. The coatings deposited by the plasma spraying are mainly of nanostructure. Unlike conventional plasma-sprayed coatings, no laminar layer could be found in the nanostructured coatings. Although the nanostructured coatings have a lower microhardness than conventional microstructured coatings, the toughness of the nanostructured ceramic coatings is significantly improved.