Thermal Spraying Technology and Applications - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

Thermal Spraying Technology and Applications

Course Outline

Thermal spraying is a surface coating technology by which metallic or nonmetallic materials are deposited in a molten or semi-molten condition onto a base metal surface to optimize its characteristics and to protect against wear, abrasion, corrosion and/or erosion. Numerous combinations of base material and coating material are possible.

This 4-hour course presents an overview of thermal spray technology and discusses thermal spray coating materials, processes, specifications, selection, surface preparation, application, inspection and testing, sealing, maintenance, and safety. This course is based entirely on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Manual 1110-2-3401.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

Following completion of the course readers will understand:

Fundamental principles of thermal spray coatings;
Thermal spray materials;
Thermal spray coating cost and service life;
Thermal spray coating selection for different service environments;
Surface preparation techniques;
Thermal spray coating applications;
Sealing and painting of thermal spray coatings;
Thermal spray coating Inspection and Testing;
Thermal spray applicator and equipment Qualification;
Maintenance of thermal spray coatings;
Safety precautions; and
Environment and worker protection regulations.

Intended Audience

This course is aimed at mechanical engineers, process engineers, facility managers, operational and maintenance personnel responsible for design and upkeep of equipment.

Benefit to Attendees

The course will help readers to understand the different surface coating techniques for enhancing service life of their assets, boosting productivity and capacity of their machinery.

Course Introduction

In the thermal spray process, fine particles of the coating material are injected into a gas stream, which is heated either electrically or by combustion and deposited at high velocity onto a substrate, creating a dense, homogeneous coating.

There are a number of processes, which have been developed and the most commonly known are: Plasma, HVOF (High Velocity Oxy-Fuel), VPS (Vacuum Plasma Spraying), arc spray, flame spray and cold spray.

Coating materials such as metals, alloys, carbides, cermets and oxides are used to suit all types of surface requirements whether for wear, corrosion, erosion protection, electrical insulation or low-friction characteristics.

Course Content

This course is based entirely on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Manual 1110-2-3401, which is in the following PDF document:

Thermal Spraying Technology and Applications

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.

Course Summary

Thermal spray coating is the process of deposition of a thin layer of coating material on to a prepared surface for special surface properties. The coating material in either powder or wire form is melted in a heat source and then propelled at a high velocity to impact on to a prepared substrate to form a thin dense protective coating.

Thermal spraying can provide thick coatings (approx. thickness range is 20 micrometers to several mm, depending on the process and feedstock), over a large area at high deposition rate as compared to other coating processes such as electroplating, physical and chemical vapor deposition. Coating materials available for thermal spraying include metals, alloys, ceramics, plastics and composites. They are fed in powder or wire form, heated to a molten or semi-molten state and accelerated towards substrates in the form of micrometer-size particles. Combustion or electrical arc discharge is usually used as the source of energy for thermal spraying. Resulting coatings are made by the accumulation of numerous sprayed particles. The surface may not heat up significantly, allowing the coating of flammable substances.

The flexibility of thermal spraying means that high-grade worn parts can be repaired in a variety of ways. Low repair costs and relatively short downtimes represent major advantages in relation to other refurbishing methods.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.