Influence of the Spray Angle on the Characteristics of Atmospheric Plasma Sprayed Hard Material Based Coatings

This paper presents an investigation of the influence of the spray angle on thermally sprayed coatings. Spray beads were manufactured with different spray angles between 90 and 20° by means of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) on heat-treated mild steel (1.0503). WC-12Co and Cr3C2-10(Ni20Cr) powders were employed as feedstock materials. Every spray bead was characterized by a Gaussian fit. This opens the opportunity to analyze the influence of the spray angle on coating properties. Furthermore, metallographic studies of the surface roughness, porosity, hardness, and morphology were carried out and the deposition efficiency as well as the tensile strength was measured. The thermally sprayed coatings show a clear dependence on the spray angle. A decrease in spray angle changes the thickness, width, and form of the spray beads. The coatings become rougher and their quality decreases.