Production of Particle Reinforced Graded Coatings by Wire Arc Spraying

Particle reinforced coatings can be applied by several thermal spray processes. In the case of wire arc spraying traditional cored wired are in use for this task. Today the higher process stability of chopped power supplies allows the injection of the particles directly into the atomizing gas stream. The separation of the wire and the particles allows the combination of any desired powder with metallic wire materials. By the use of a controlled pressurized powder feeder it is possible to embed much more particles inside the coating than in previous experiments using a standard powder feeder. The higher particle content results further out of the modified injection system, which is integrated into the spray gun. By changing the powder feed rate it is possible to modify the content of the particles within the coating. Thereby graded layers can be produced by wire arc spraying without stopping the process