Effects of shroud gas injection on material properties of tungsten layers coated by plasma spraying

Coated tungsten layers on stainless steel substrates were are produced by atmosphere plasma spraying. A shroud gas injection method was employed to reduce the ambient air entrainment into the plasma jets. The effects of shroud gas on the material properties of the tungsten layers were investigated by finding the dependence of oxide content, coating thickness and porosity on the injection velocity, shielding width, and mass flux of the shroud gas. The high injection velocity was more effective than thick shroud shielding in protecting the plasma jets from ambient air engulfment, and the mass flux of the shroud gas showed negligibly small effects on the suppression of air entrainment. Therefore, in order to produce a thick tungsten coating with low porosity and oxide contents, high injection velocity with a limited flow rate is a desirable operating condition for shroud gas injection in atmospheric plasma spraying.