Plasma spraying of titanium hard materials - New possibilities for wear protection

摘要

In the search for more effective materials for wear protection titanium-based hard materials are becoming increasingly important in development work. Titanium carbides, nitrides, carbonitrides and diborides are far less susceptible to oxidation. Their specific weight is barely one third of that of tungsten carbide. Because of their material-specific features, processing of titanium hard materials and wear protection coatings by spraying has up to now been possible only to a limited extent. The "shrouded plasma spraying process" represents a cheap alternative to vacuum plasma spraying. The effective use of this technology, however, requires suitably adapted powder production. The fusion of titanium hard materials to form spray coatings requires high power and accurate process conditions. The adding of even small proportions of a metallic matrix is reflected in much improved coating strength.