Methods and application of residual stress analysis on thermally sprayed coatings and layer composites

Coating and layer composite manufacturing most commonly involves high temperature gradients and intensive heat transfer between the different composite materials. This can be noticed not only for thermal spraying, but also for other coating techniques. The combination of temperature gradients and materials with different thermophysical properties leads to the formation of thermal stresses in the composite, which are superimposed by stress generating effects during coating solidification, phase transformation or recrystallization. The final state of residual stresses affects the structural and functional properties of the coating as well as the component reliability during operation. Therefore, residual stress analysis is an important tool for the optimization of coatings and layer composite manufacturing processes in order to ensure stability of the processes, adhesion and compatibility of the coating, and finally, the reliability of the components in various technical systems. The most common residual stress measurement techniques are described and compared, with the focus on the incremental hole drilling and milling method. The advantages and disadvantages of the methods are discussed with respect to their application on industrial machine parts. The typical application fields for the different methods are given with respect to the specific measurement principles. The incremental hole drilling method is presented in more detail with application examples that illustrate the suitability of this method for the optimization of thermal spraying processes in industrial layer composite manufacturing by managing the heat and mass transfer in a most appropriate way. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.