To achieve sufficient adhesion strength within thermal spraying, the surface to be coated has to be modified. Grit blasting is the most common way to generate a clean and roughened surface. The bonding mechanism between the grit-blasted substrate and the coating is assumed to be due to mechanical anchoring, why an optimal surface roughness is essential. The surface roughness is usually evaluated using Ra which cannot fully characterize the complex nature of the chaotic substrate topography. This study was performed in order to evaluate if Ra can be replaced by other surface characteristic parameters such us R.q, Rpk, Rpv, Rk…with higher correlation to adhesion strength. Average roughness was measured by a perthometer and with white light interferometry to get 3D images of the surface topography. Disc shaped substrate samples of Ti6Al4V (AMS 4928) were grit blasted with aluminium oxide grit and plasma sprayed with a Ni5%Al coating. Adhesion strength was determined according to the ASTM C633 standard. The correlation between a number of different surface-parameters and adhesion strength were evaluated and compared with Ra.

The Protal process combines surface preparation using a laser and thermal spraying in one production step. The laser preparation is based on a photomechanical reaction induced by the interaction between a laser of high instantaneous power and a polluted surface. The mechanism of bonding and the coating-substrate interface are then changed in comparison with grit blasting resulting in a significantly reduced substrate roughness. This study is aimed at finding the optimal Protal process parameters for the coating adhesion of a Ni5%Al sprayed on Ti6Al4V and IN718 alloys. The parameters investigated are laser beam intensity, the time delay between the laser impact and the spray impact, powder feed rate, substrate roughness and temperature. A test plan including these parameters is analysed by means of a fractional factorial design of experiment method. The adhesions of the coatings are measured using the ASTM C633 standard test. Data are analysed by a multiple linear regression model using a least squares fit. In addition, the coating/substrate interface is examined by optical and electron scanning microscopy (SEM) techniques as well as by Auger electron spectroscopy. Substrate roughness, substrate temperature and laser intensity are all shown to have a negative correlation with adhesion strength within the investigated range. Areas of diffusion are noticed at the coating/substrate interface.

The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of plasma-sprayed Ni5%Al particles on polished and grit-blasted Ti6Al4V samples under oxidized and nonoxidized conditions. For this purpose, measurements of thermal radiation and velocity of individual plasma-sprayed particles were carried out. From the thermal radiation at impact, splat diameter during flattening and temperature evolution during cooling were evaluated. Characteristic parameters related to the quality of contact between the splat and the substrate were retrieved. The flattening speed was introduced to characterize wetting, while the cooling rate was used to characterize solidification. The idea was to get a signature of particle impact for a given surface roughness and oxidation state by identifying parameters which strongly affect the splat behavior. Sieved Ni5%Al powder in a narrow range (+65 −75 μm) was sprayed on four sets of titanium alloy surfaces, consisting of polished and grit-blasted samples, one set had a nonoxidized surface and the other one was oxidized in an oven at 600 °C for two hours. Resulting splats after impact were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, the splats on oxidized surface showed pores in their core and detached fingers at the periphery. The cooling rate and flattening degree significantly increased on the oxidized smooth surface compared to the nonoxidized one. This trend was not found in grit-blasted surfaces, which implies that impact phenomena are different on grit-blasted surfaces than on smooth surfaces thus further work is needed.

The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of plasma-sprayed Ni5%Al particles on polished and grit-blasted Ti6Al4V samples under oxidized and nonoxidized conditions. For this purpose, measurements of thermal radiation and velocity of individual plasma-sprayed particles were carried out. From the thermal radiation at impact, splat diameter during flattening and temperature evolution during cooling were evaluated. Characteristic parameters related to the quality of contact between the splat and the substrate were retrieved. The flattening speed was introduced to characterize wetting, while the cooling rate was used to characterize solidification. The idea was to get a signature of particle impact for a given surface roughness and oxidation state by identifying parameters which strongly affect the splat behavior. Sieved Ni5%Al powder in a narrow range (+65 −75 μm) was sprayed on four sets of titanium alloy surfaces, consisting of polished and grit-blasted samples, one set had a nonoxidized surface and the other one was oxidized in an oven at 600 °C for two hours. Resulting splats after impact were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, the splats on oxidized surface showed pores in their core and detached fingers at the periphery. The cooling rate and flattening degree significantly increased on the oxidized smooth surface compared to the nonoxidized one. This trend was not found in grit-blasted surfaces, which implies that impact phenomena are different on grit-blasted surfaces than on smooth surfaces thus further work is needed.