Novel utilization of powder-suspension hybrid feedstock in HVAF spraying to deposit improved wear and corrosion resistant coatings

Deployment of a suspension feedstock has been known to alleviate problems associated with using sub-micron and nanosized powder feedstock for thermal spraying of monolithic as well as powder-suspension ‘hybrid’ composite coatings. However, a powder-suspension hybrid feedstock has never been previously used in high-velocity air-fuel (HVAF) spraying. In this work, for the very first time, a chromium carbide (Cr3C2) suspension has been co-sprayed along with an Inconel-625 (IN-625) powder by the HVAF process as an illustrative case study. Two variants of the IN-625 + Cr3C2 hybrid coatings were produced by varying relative powder-suspension feed rates. For comparison, pure IN-625 coating was also deposited utilizing identical spray parameters. Detailed microstructural characterization, porosity content, hardness measurement and phase analysis of the as-deposited coatings was performed. The suspension-derived carbides were retained in the bulk of the coating, resulting in higher hardness. In the dry sliding wear test, the hybrid coatings demonstrated lower wear rate and higher coefficient of friction (CoF) compared to the conventional, powder-derived IN-625 coatings. Furthermore, the wear rate improved slightly with an increase in Cr3C2 content in the hybrid coating. Post-wear analysis of the worn coating, worn alumina ball and the wear debris was performed to understand the wear mechanisms and material transfer in the investigated coatings. In the potentiodynamic polarization test, higher corrosion resistance for hybrid coatings than conventional IN-625 coatings was achieved, indicating that the incorporation of a secondary, carbide phase in the IN-625 matrix did not compromise its corrosion performance. This work demonstrates a novel approach to incorporate any finely distributed second phase in HVAF sprayed coatings to enhance their performance when exposed to harsh environments

Development of yttria-stabilized zirconia and graphene coatings obtained by suspension plasma spraying: Thermal stability and influence on mechanical properties

This study investigated the feasibility of depositing graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)-reinforced yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) composite coatings. The coatings were deposited from an ethanol-based mixed YSZ and GNP suspension using suspension plasma spraying (SPS). Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of GNPs in the YSZ matrix, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed a desired columnar microstructure with GNPs distributed predominantly in the inter-columnar spacing of the YSZ matrix. The as-deposited YSZ-GNP coatings were subjected to different isothermal treatments—400, 500, and 600 \ub0C for 8 h—to study the thermal stability of the GNPs in the composite coatings. Raman analysis showed the retention of GNPs in specimens exposed to temperatures up to 500 \ub0C, although the defect concentration in the graphitic structure increased with increasing temperature. Only a marginal effect on the mechanical properties (i.e., hardness and fracture toughness) was observed for the isothermally treated coatings

Conduction mode laser welding with beam shaping using a deformable mirror

This study explores the possibility of tailoring the fusion zone in conduction mode laser welding using a deformable mirror for beam shaping of multi-kilowatt continuous wave laser sources. Three power density distributions were shaped and used in bead on plate welding of Ti64 plates in conduction mode at three travel speeds. The effect on melt pool free surface geometry, cross section, microstructure and hardness profiles was measured and studied. It is shown that the geometry of the melt pool can be modified using a deformable mirror. A narrower and longer melt pool or a wider, shorter and shallower one were indeed obtained forming Gaussian-elliptical power density distributions oriented along and transverse to the travel direction, respectively. The latter distribution could be a favourable option for laser beam additive manufacturing as it could improve process efficiency while reducing remelting of the previous layer. This system has also a promising potential for adaptive process control since it could change fundamentally the beam shape at a rate faster than 10 ms

Failure of Multilayer Suspension Plasma Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings in the Presence of Na2SO4 and NaCl at 900 °C

The current investigation focuses on understanding the influence of a columnar microstructure and a sealing layer on the corrosion behavior of suspension plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Two different TBC systems were studied in this work. First is a double layer made of a composite of gadolinium zirconate + yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) deposited on top of YSZ. Second is a triple layer made of dense gadolinium zirconate deposited on top of gadolinium zirconate + YSZ over YSZ. Cyclic corrosion tests were conducted between 25 and 900 °C with an exposure time of 8 h at 900 °C. 75 wt.% Na2SO4 + 25 wt.% NaCl were used as the corrosive salts at a concentration of 6 mg/cm2. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of the samples’ cross sections showed that severe bond coat degradation had taken place for both the TBC systems, and the extent of bond coat degradation was relatively higher in the triple-layer system. It is believed that the sealing layer in the triple-layer system reduced the number of infiltration channels for the molten salts which resulted in overflowing of the salts to the sample edges and caused damage to develop relatively more from the edge.First Online: 29 October 2018This article is an invited paper selected from presentations at the 2018 International Thermal Spray Conference, held May 7-10, 2018, in Orlando, Florida, USA, and has been expanded from the original presentation.</p

Bilayer Suspension Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings with Enhanced Thermal Cyclic Lifetime : Experiments and Modeling

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) has been shown as a promising process to produce porous columnar strain tolerant coatings for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in gas turbine engines. However, the highly porous structure is vulnerable to crack propagation, especially near the topcoat-bondcoat interface where high stresses are generated due to thermal cycling. A topcoat layer with high toughness near the topcoat-bondcoat interface could be beneficial to enhance thermal cyclic lifetime of SPS TBCs. In this work, a bilayer coating system consisting of first a dense layer near the topcoat-bondcoat interface followed by a porous columnar layer was fabricated by SPS using Yttria-stabilised zirconia suspension. The objective of this work was to investigate if the bilayer topcoat architecture could enhance the thermal cyclic lifetime of SPS TBCs through experiments and to understand the effect of the column gaps/vertical cracks and the dense layer on the generated stresses in the TBC during thermal cyclic loading through finite element modeling. The experimental results show that the bilayer TBC had significantly higher lifetime than the single-layer TBC. The modeling results show that the dense layer and vertical cracks are beneficial as they reduce the thermally induced stresses which thus increase the lifetime