Surface preparation and thermal spray in a single step: The PROTAL process - Example of application for an aluminum-base substrate

Thermal spray techniques can fulfill numerous industrial applications. Coatings are thus applied to resist wear and corrosion or to modify the surface characteristics of the substrate (e.g., thermal conductivity/thermal insulation). However, many of these applications remain inhibited by some deposit characteristics, such as a limited coating adhesion or pores or by industrial costs because several nonsynchronized and sequential steps (that is, degreasing, sand blasting, and spraying) are needed to manufacture a deposit. The PROTAL process was designed to reduce the aforementioned difficulties by implementing simultaneously a Q-switched laser and a thermal spray torch, The laser irradiation is primarily aimed to eliminate the contamination films and oxide layers, to generate a surface state enhancing the deposit adhesion, and to limit the contamination of the deposited layers by condensed vapors. From PROTAL arises the possibility to reduce, indeed suppress, the preliminary steps of degreasing and grit blasting. In this study, the benefits of the PROTAL process were investigated, comparing adhesion of different atmospheric plasma spray coatings (e.g., metallic and ceramic coatings) on an aluminum-base substrate. Substrates were coated rough from the machine shop, for example, manipulated barehanded and without any prior surface preparation. Results obtained this way were compared with those obtained using a classical procedure; that is, degreasing and grit blasting prior to the coating deposition.