Influence of the Surface State on the Adherence of the Coating: Case of an Alumina Coating Plasma Sprayed on SiC Composites

摘要

In thermal spraying, adherence between the coating and the substrate appears as the fundamental point. To favor a good interaction between both, it is often necessary to clean and prepare the substrate surface. Conventionally, solvents and sand blasting are applied to remove the contaminants and increase the surface roughness for a mechanical anchorage. However, according to the substrate nature (ceramic) or the substrate morphology, it can be prejudicial to apply a mechanical treatment because of peeling of the surface or a decrease in the global properties. Then, to obtain an appropriate preparation, several techniques can be investigated, such as water jet, ice blasting, and heat treatment; as well, laser ablation can be an interesting technology to prepare the substrate surface. The aim of this work was to study the modifications induced by 10 ns single or cumulative pulses of a Q-switched Nd:YAG near-infrared laser and its influence on the interface adhesion. The case of an alumina coating sprayed on a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) was studied. In these conditions, the laser treatment seems favorable from the adherence viewpoint according to the mechanical effect (induced by a conelike structure) and the chemical effect.