Spatial Mapping of Plasma Sprayed Coating Thickness Using X-Ray Fluorescence and Laser Triangulation

Thursday, May 14, 2015: 9:00 AM
Room 102B (Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center)
Dr. Kendall J. Hollis , Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Dr. Deborah A. Summa , Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Ms. Velma M. Lopez , Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Dr. George J. Havrilla , Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
The measurement of the spatial distribution of coating thickness on thin coatings applied by thermal spraying can be challenging.  For non-magnetic metallic substrates and coatings, the methods of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and laser triangulation were employed for measuring coating thicknesses in the range of 20 to 80 mm. XRF is used to measure the ratio of atomic fluorescence peaks for an element in the substrate to an element in the coating.  With appropriate calibration, the ratio of peak intensities gives the coating thickness for the spot sampled.  Laser triangulation thickness mapping and cross sectional metallography are compared to XRF to determine accuracies and sensitivities of the two techniques for plasma sprayed coatings.
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