Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Studies of the air plasma spraying of zirconia powder

Book ·
OSTI ID:160450
;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Vartech, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
  2. Miller Thermal Inc., Appleton, WI (United States)

As part of an investigation of the dynamics that occur in the air plasma spray process, an experimental and analytical study has been accomplished for the deposition of yttria-stabilized zirconia powder using argon-hydrogen and argon-helium working gases. Numerical models of the plasma dynamics and the related plasma-particle interaction are presented. The analytical studies were conducted to determine the parameter space for the empirical studies. Experiments were then conducted using a Box statistical design-of-experiment approach. A substantial range of plasma processing conditions and their effect on the resultant coating is presented. The coatings were characterized by hardness tests and optical metallography (i.e., image analysis). Coating qualities are discussed with respect to hardness, porosity, surface roughness, deposition efficiency, and microstructure. Attributes of the coatings are correlated with the changes in operating parameters. An optimized coating design predicted by the SDE analysis and verified by the calculations is also presented.

OSTI ID:
160450
Report Number(s):
CONF-940684--; ISBN 0-87170-509-5
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English