SURFACE

ENGINEERING

SUBMITTED BY:
RATHOD RAMESHWARI
BT16MME054
CONTENTS:
❖ Diffusion coating
❖ Industrial applications of PVD
❖ Industrial applications of Thermal spray
❖ Thermal Barrier Coating
 DIFFUSION COATING
DIFFUSION COATINGS In diffusion coating metal components that
will be subjected to high temperature conditions and highly corrosive
environments are coated with a non-corrosive material. The process is
normally done at elevated temperatures in a controlled chamber. They
are deposited either by heating the components to be treated in
contact with the powder coating material in an inert atmosphere
(solid-state diffusion) or by heating them in an atmosphere of a
volatile compound of the coating material (out-of-contact gas-phase
deposition, or chemical vapor deposition). Solid-state diffusion
methods include pack cementation, which is the most widely
employed diffusion coating method and the process described in most
detail in this article, and various slurry or powder-paint methods of
coating metal parts and assemblies. The most widely used coatings
are those based on aluminum (aluminizing), chromium (chromizing),
and silicon (siliconizing). Substrate materials include nickel- and
cobalt-base super alloys, steels (including carbon, alloy, and stainless
steels), and refractory metals and alloys. Diffusion coatings can be
used in two ways:
1) Diffusion coating at elevated temperatures in turbine blades and
air craft engines.
2) Diffusion coated ferrous alloys.

1) Diffusion coating at elevated temperatures:

Blades and vanes made from nickel- and cobalt-base super alloys that
are used in the hot sections of all gas turbine engines are coated to
enhance resistance to hot corrosion. The most widely used coatings
are those based on the intermetallic compounds NiAl and CoAl,
which are formed by the diffusion interaction of aluminum with
surfaces of the nickel and cobalt alloys, respectively. Diffusion
chromium coatings are also used to protect against certain forms of
molten salt hot corrosion. The majority of these diffusion coatings is
manufactured by pack cementation and related "gas phase," or out-of-
contact, processes. Majority of them include pack diffusion, it
includes aluminizing and siliconizing.
Pack diffusion coating:
➢ Aluminizing:
Pack diffusion coating may be considered as a CVD process carried
out with the aid of a powder mixture (pack), in or near which the part
to be coated (substrate) is immersed or suspended, containing the
element or elements to be deposited (source), a halide salt (activator),
and an inert diluents such as alumina (filler). When the mixture is
heated, the activator reacts to produce an atmosphere of source
element(s) halides which diffuse in the pack and transfer the source
element(s) to the substrate on which the coating is formed.

➢ Siliconizing:

In packs activated with NH4Cl, the principle constituents in the gas

phase in equilibrium with pure Si(s) below 1500 K are SiHCl3 (g),
SiCl4 (g), SiCl3 (g), HCl (g), and H2 (g) (Ref 28). Free energy
considerations indicate that concentrations of the halides of nickel,
cobalt, molybdenum, and tungsten in the gas phase would be very
small, and these elements would therefore be immobile in such a
pack. Hydrogen reduction of SiHCl3 (g) and SiCl4 (g) are predicted
to be the most probable silicon deposition reactions at the coating
surface when the substrate is a nickel- or cobalt-base
Superalloy, or pure tungsten or molybdenum:
SiHCl3 (g) + H2 (g) = Si(s) + 3HCl (g)
SiCl4 (g) + 2H2 (g) = Si(s) + 4HCl (g)

➢ Chromizing:

Although many of the same principles apply to chromizing as to

aluminizing packs, the fact that chromium halides are less stable than
aluminum halides introduces several new factors (Ref 27, 28). In
ammonium halide activated chromizing packs, CrX2 (l) appears as a
condensed phase. The major constituents in the gas phase in
equilibrium with chromium in the pack are CrX2 (g), CrX3(g), HX(g),
and H2(g). The partial pressure of HX (g) is high enough so that
hydrogen reduction according to the reaction:
CrX2 (g) + H2 (g) = Cr(s) + 2 HX (g)
At the coating surface is an important mechanism for the deposition
of chromium. Since the free energies of formation of
FeX2 and CrX2 are comparable, if the substrate is an iron-base alloy
the exchange reaction
CrX2 (g) + Fe(s) = Cr(s) + FeX2 (g)
Also occurs. The FeX2 (g) diffuses back into the pack where the
reverse reaction leads to the deposition of Fe(s) on the
Particles of the source alloy, thus changing its composition, while the
Cr(s) diffuses into the coating.
 INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS OF
PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
(PVD):
1) PVD coatings are used for cutting tools:

The first PVD coating material to have commercial application on

cutting tool was TiN in early 1980 and most cutting tools are PVD
coated where sharp edges are required. Ex: Threading, grooving, end-
milling etc and in cutting applications that have high demand for
tough cutting edge.

2) PVD coatings for the automotive industry:

In recent years the importance of fuel economy has become ever

important. Therefore the focus on weight reduction and energy loss
due to friction by major automotive companies has increased. This
factor is most important in motor sport and it should be noted in
sports such as Formula1, where unit coat is less important than
performance improvement. Here PVD coating are the solution

3) PVD coatings for punches and forming tools:

These coatings are hard and wear resistant and consequently protect
punches and forming tools against abrasive wear significantly
extending the life time of tools.

4) PVD coatings for injection moulding tools:

Injection moulding is the process of heating plastic granules to

melting point before injecting them at high pressure through a nozzle
into the mould; once the plastic has cooled the part can be ejected.
Injection moulding is generally used when the parts too complicated
or cost prohibitive to machine. PVD coatings are used to protect such
complex shapes and give a good finishing to these tools and also
increase their life.
5) PVD coating for decorative applications:

These coatings give a high quality surface finish for sanitary and door
hardware and also give a long time guarantee on the appearance.

6) Optical coating for architecture, TV screens and data displays:

Glass is used extensively in various applications as a result of its
outstanding properties. Glass is extremely stable material and is
relatively scratch resistant. Importantly for optical applications it also
has high transparency for visible electromagnetic spectrum. These
properties have led to the widespread use of glass in architecture and
modern information and communication technologies such as TV
screens and data displays.
 INDUSTRAIL APLLICATIONS
OF THERMAL SPRAY
➢ THERMAL SPRAYING: All thermal spray processes
work on the common principle associated with the
developing of thin films and coatings. The feedstock, that is,
the material to be coated (in form of wire, powder) is passed
through suitable heat source such as flame, arc, and plasma.
And brought to plastic or complete and/or partial molten
state. Depending upon the heat source, the temperature can
vary significantly. They are divided into following types:

1) Flame spraying processes

2) High velocity oxy-fuel thermal spraying
3) Detonation spray
4) Cold spraying
5) Electric arc wire spray process
6) Plasma arc spray.
➢ Applications:

Thermal spray processes have a broad range across all

industrial sectors. Thermal spray processes are easy to
use, cost little to operate, and have coating attributes that
are beneficial to applications in various industries.
Applications include coatings for wear prevention,
dimensional restoration, thermal insulation and control,
corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, lubrication films,
abrasive actions, seals, biomedical environments,
electromagnetic properties, etc., and the manufacturing of
free-standing components, spray formed parts, and
nanostructure materials.

Thermal spray processes and deposited materials have

resulted in attractive coating solutions in the aerospace,
industrial gas turbine, petrochemical and gas, and
automotive industries. The inherent characteristics of its
microstructure can play an important role in enhancing
performance. For instance, porosity helps reduce the
thermal conductivity of thermal barrier coatings in jet
aircraft engines.

In the aerospace market, combustion-spray is used to

apply clearance-control coatings. In the case of abradable
systems, the porosity helps to weaken the cohesive
strength of the coating and allows for micro-rupture of
particles when in contact with the turbine blade. Some
customers recognize that low-velocity combustion might
not be the optimum choice of processes for an application,
but they may select combustion spray anyway because of
its lower cost.

In some cases, design limitations of the manufacturing

process may be eliminated or reduced by thermal spray
post-treatments such as spray-and-fuse. In this post-
treatment process, self-fluxing nickel/cobalt alloys are
flame sprayed and subsequently fused by another thermal
energy source, such as an oxygen acetylene torch,
furnace, induction coil, or infrared heating. Self-fluxing
alloys typically have small amounts of boron and silicon
that help to depress the melting point, which helps these
alloys to fuse and coalesce. As they fuse, the coatings
form a metallurgical bond with the substrate. The coating is
dense and low in porosity, and provides high inter-particle
cohesive strength and substrate-to-coating adhesive
strength.

Coatings that are applied by combustion spray processes

and then fused are typically suitable for highly wear-
resistant applications. This is important for the agricultural
and glass industries in products such as agricultural blades
and glass mold plungers, which require toughness and
wear resistance. Blending carbides into the self-fluxing
alloys can increase coating wear resistance further.
Common applications for thermal spraying and surface
treatments include these:

i. Repair and reconditioning

ii. Anti corrosion coatings

iii. Heat shielding

iv. Erosion prevention

v. Insulation.
 THERMAL BARRIER COATING
➢ Many engineering systems operating at high temperature
need protection for survival and for extension of the
expected service life. For example, the skin of rockets must
be able to withstand extreme temperature condition
generated due to frictional heat while entering the earth’s
atmosphere from space. The surface of such components is
protected using suitable coating systems that reduce heat
transfer to the substrate. The coating materials acting as
barrier for transfer of heat are called thermal barrier coating.
Ferritic stainless steels and Cr–Mo steels are expected to
provide services at high temperature (about 500–650 °C).
The performance of thermal barrier coatings depends on the
thermal conductivity of coating material, compatibility of
coating material with the substrate in relation to the thermal
expansion coefficient determining the ability to withstand
thermal cyclic conditions, and thermal stability at high
temperature (with respect to the micro-structure and
mechanical properties). The application of thermal barrier
coating can increase the working temperature up to 200 °C,
above the normal operating temperature. Zirconia and yttria-
stabilized zirconia are commonly used as thermal barrier
coating systems. To deal with the issue of compatibility of
thermal expansion coefficient also termed as strain
compliance (due to mismatch in base metal and coating
material), sometimes another material with thermal
expansion coefficient in between the coefficients of substrate
and coating materials is utilized, which is called bond coat.
The bond coating increases the adhesive strength of coating
with substrate. Thermal barrier coatings need to be thin for
aerospace applications due to weight consideration, while
higher thickness is permitted for other applications such as
thermal power plant and automobile engines. Porosity and
 cracks in thermal barrier coating adversely affect the
performance. On the basis of the above observations, the
following properties must be possessed by material that can
be used for thermal barrier coating:

They are applied to metallic components of advanced heat engines to

reduce the metal temperature, increase the environmental resistance
and life of the component, and in some cases reduce noxious exhaust
emissions. This thin coating usually consists of a metallic bond coat
applied to the metal component, followed by a layer of magnesia- or
yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). If the TBC is on nickel- or cobalt-
base super alloy components intended for high-temperature operation,
it is advisable to heat treat the TBC to achieve bond coat densification
and diffusion bonding to the substrate. The selection of the TBC
system involves many considerations, principally knowledge of the
intended service conditions, temperature reduction expectations,
component life estimates, cost, and in some cases the external surface
finish requirements. It is implicit that a successful TBC will also
survive the rigors of service without spalling or eroding. This article
discusses the various tests applied to the TBC system and to the
zirconia layer separately, to establish thermal design properties and
thermo mechanical and environmental stability. The following are the
certain requirements for the Thermal barrier coating to be good and
long lasting.

• Requirements of thermal barrier coating:

i. Low conductivity to act as thermal barrier;
ii. Low density to reduce the possibility of chipping off
or spalling owing to high centrifugal forces in rotating
components like shafts;
iii. Lower the difference in thermal expansion coefficient
of substrate and coating material so that there is a
better strain compliance.
 iv. Good chemical and thermal stability of thermal barrier
coating are required so that TBCs do not react with
service atmosphere (steam and flue gases carrying
sulfur) and the substrate at the service temperature.
• Applications of Thermal barrier coating:
i. They are commonly used to protect nickel-based
super alloys from both melting and thermal cycling in
aviation turbines.
ii. Combined with cool air flow, TBCs increase the
allowable gas temperature above that of the
superalloy melting point.
iii. Aero engine applications.
iv. Gas turbine engine applications.
v. They are also used in turbine blades.