A numerical and experimental investigation into residual stress in thermally sprayed coatings

This paper is concerned with an investigation into the thermal spray process and is particularly concerned with the residual stresses that arise when a steel-alloy coating is sprayed onto a copper-alloy substrate. This material combination was used recently to enhance the thermal and mechanical efficiency of the pressure die casting process. A difficulty with the spraying of steel on copper is the attainment of appreciable thickness of the coating due to debonding during the thermal spraying process. Prominent among possible causes of debonding is residual stress, which is the focus of the research presented in the paper. An investigation into the thermal spray process is performed using experimentation, simplified numerical modelling and finite element modelling. The development of residual stress for a range of process parameters, i.e. deposited layer thickness, interval of layer deposition and the number of layers in a coating (i.e. block deposition versus multilayer deposition for a desired coating thickness) is recorded. The results from the three investigation methods agreeably indicate a progressive change in average interfacial residual stress from compressive towards tensile with increase in thickness of deposited layer; and a tensile interfacial stress in a two-layer coating, which increases with increase in interval of deposition between the two layers. On the whole, the observations from the results suggest an increase in potential for coating debonding with increase in both deposited layer thickness and layer deposition interval. The results further suggest higher potential for coating debonding with block deposition compared to multilayer deposition for a desired coating thickness.