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Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 11:40 AM
APP16.5

Exploring Thermal Spray Grey Alumina Coating Pore Network Architecture by Combining Stereological Protocols and Impedance Electrochemical Spectroscopy

G. Montavon, SPCTS - UMR CNRS 6638, Faculty of Sciences, Limoges cedex, France; G. ANTOU, SPCTS - UMR CNRS 6638, Limoges cedex, France; F. Hlawka, A. Cornet, INSA Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; C. Coddet, University of Technology Belfort-Montbeliard, Belfort Cedex, France

Complex multi-scale pore network architecture develops during the manufacturing of ceramic thermal spray coating. At the lowest scales, intralamellar and interlamellar cracks are generated when each lamella spreads and solidifies. Indeed, surface tension and residual stresses within the lamella lead to peripheral decohesion and relaxation by crack formation, respectively. At larger scales, interface contamination (i.e., adsorbates, condensates, stagnating vapors, etc.) during inter-passes favors large interlamellar decohesion and lamella stacking defects generate globular pores. The combination of thiese features creates a complex pore architecture characterized by a multi-modal pore size distribution and connectivity. These characteristics significantly affect the coating properties (i.e. compliance, electrical, thermal and ionic conductivities, etc.) and their in-service behaviors (i.e., wear and corrosion resistances, mostly). For a given feedstock material, in terms of nature , morphology and particle size distribution , the pore network architecture is mainly driven by the operating parameters, especially the power parameters. Stereological protocols permit to quantify feature characteristics and distribution. In particular, from the De Hoff analysis results the 3-D distribution of spheroids (i.e., pores) from the determination of their 2-D distribution estimated when analysing the coating structure via a polishing plane.Impedance spectroscopy aims at electrochemically sollicitating a material surface by frequency variable current and potential and at analysing the complex impedance. When a coating covers tha material surface, the elctrolyte percolates through the more or less connected pore network to locally corrode the substrate. The resistive and capacitive characteristics of the equivalent electrical circuit will depend upon the connected pore network architecture. Al2O3-13TiO2 coatings were atmospherically plasma sprayed using several sets of power parameters, the arc current intensivity, the plasma gas total flow rate and the plasma gas composition, namely to scan their effects on the pore network architecture . In parallel, particle characteristics upon impact, especially their related dimensionless numbers such as reynolds, Weber and Sommerfeld criteria, were determined. Analysis permitted to identify the major effects of power parameters on the pore architecture and the related formation mechanisms.

Summary: By combining stereological protocols and impedance electrochemical spectroscopy, they were permitted to identify the major effects of power parameters on the pore architecture and the related formation mechanisms