Characterisation of the TiO2 coatings deposited by plasma spraying

Plasma spraying of materials such as ceramics and non-metals, which have high melting points, has become a well-established commercial process. Such coatings are increasingly used in aerospace, automobile, textile, medical, printing and electrical industries to impart proprieties such as corrosion resistance, thermal resistance, wear resistance, etc. One of the most important characteristics of thermal barrier coatings is the ability to undergo fast temperature changes without failing, the so called thermal shock resistance. The formation of residual stresses in plasma sprayed ceramic and metallic coatings is a very complex process. Several factors, such as substrate material, substrate thickness, physical properties of both the substrate and the coating material, deposition rate, relative velocity of the plasma torch, etc. determine the final residual stress state of the coating at room temperature. Our objective is to characterize the titanium oxide and aluminium oxide coatings deposited by plasma spraying in structural terms, the resistance to thermal shock and residual stresses.