Nils Kopp

Thermochemistry of brazing ceramics and metals in air

Abstract Reactive air brazing offers economically and technologically advantageous joining of ceramics to metals. Solid oxide fuel cells and membranes for oxyfuel combustion are recent fields of application. However, it remains a problem that strong metallurgical reactions between brazes and base materials occur. These reactions were analysed by differential scanning calorimetry tests to get a better understanding. Therefore, three braze alloys (Ag8Cu, Ag8Cu0.5Ti and Ag4Cu4Ni) and five base materials (alumina, 3YSZ partially stabilised zirconia, BSCF perovskite ceramic, X1CrTiLa22 and X15CrNiSi25-20) were investigated. The reaction peaks correlate with the formation of reaction layers, which were observed in metallographic analysis of brazed specimens. The results help to explain the reaction mechanisms and allow optimised selection of filler metals and brazing temperature.

Determination of the Effective Properties of Thermal Spray Coatings Using 2D and 3D Models

Models, which are developed to determine the effective properties of thermal spray coatings, require the material properties of each constituent of the coating as well as the information about the spatial positions and the geometries of these constituents as input parameters. The complex microstructure of thermally sprayed Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings consists of irregular voids which are distributed non-uniformly in the coating. It is a common practice in the literature to employ two-dimensional (2D) cross-sectional images of the coatings to derive the geometrical model of the microstructure and conduct the simulations in 2D. In the context of this study, contrary to the 2D approach, a new three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction approach has been developed to model the microstructure of thermally sprayed coatings in 3D. The effective properties of an YSZ coating have been calculated by means of asymptotic homogenization and virtual testing methods. The results of the models, which have been conducted in 2D and 3D, are compared with each other. Finally, the capabilities of these methods with respect to the modeling approach (in 3D and in 2D) are analyzed on the basis of reference measurements.

Improvement of Coating Properties in Three-Cathode Atmospheric Plasma Spraying

The main aim of this study is to improve the coating properties of three-cathode atmospheric plasma-sprayed coatings with respect to porosity and residual stresses. This was done by means of numerical simulation coupled with advanced diagnostic methods. A numerical model for the triple injection of alumina feedstock, as well as acceleration and heating of the powder particles in the characteristic threefold symmetrical plasma jet cross section produced by a three-cathode-plasma torch, was developed. The modeling results for the standard injector’s position “0” were calculated and experimentally verified by laser Doppler anemometry. Based on the criteria defined for the concentrated feedstock transport and homogeneous thermal treatment of powder particles in the plasma jet, the optimal injection position was found. In the next step, a previously developed, coupled CFD-FEM-simulation model was used for simulations of the coating build-up, describing flattening, solidification, and deformation due to shrinkage for alumina particles on a rough substrate surface.

Particle In-Flight and Coating Properties of Fe-Based Feedstock Materials Sprayed with Modern Thermal Spray Systems

New developments in the field of thermal spraying systems (increased particle velocities, enhanced process stability) are leading to improved coatings. Innovations in the field of feedstock materials are supporting this trend. The combination of both has led to a renaissance of Fe-based feedstocks. Using modern APS or HVOF systems, it is now possible to compete with classical materials for wear and corrosion applications like Ni-basis or metal-matrix composites. This study intends to give an analysis of the in-flight particle and spray jet properties achievable with two different modern thermal spraying systems using Fe-based powders. The velocity fields are measured with the Laser Doppler Anemometry. Resulting coatings are analyzed and a correlation with the particle in-flight properties is given. The experiments are accompanied by computational fluid dynamics simulations of spray jet and particle velocities, leading to a comprehensive analysis of the achievable particle properties with state-of-the-art HVOF and APS systems.