Deposition System, Method And Materials For Composite Coatings

Abstract

A composite powder for a deposition of a composite coating comprises a nonmetallic component and a metallic component, the metallic component having an amorphous structure or a nanocrystalline structure. The metallic component may include an amorphous metallic alloy. The metallic alloy may include constituents having the amorphous structure. The metallic component may include a combination of the metallic alloy existing in the amorphous state and constituents of the amorphous metallic alloy in the amorphous state. The composite metal-ceramic powders are used for depositing composite coatings on a selected surface. Disclosed are several methods and systems for producing such composite powders. Disclosed are also several methods and systems for depositing composite coatings. Advantageously, the deposited coatings exhibit high corrosion resistance, high wear resistance, and excellent structural properties.

1 . A method of depositing a composite coating onto a substrate comprising:
 providing a composite powder including particles of a nonmetallic component and a metallic component;   heating said particles; and   accelerating said particles toward a substrate;   wherein said heating and accelerating includes the following conditions:   (i) E p <E melting , wherein E p  represents the total specific kinetic and thermal energy of a particle after said accelerating and heating, and E melting  represents the amount of specific energy necessary to melt all components of said particle;   (ii) T p >T bd , wherein T p  is a temperature of said particles and T bd  is a temperature of the brittle-ductile transformation of said metallic components of said powder.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said heating and accelerating includes the following conditions:
 (iii) E′ melting <E p <E melting , wherein E′ melting  represents the amount of specific energy necessary to melt said metallic component.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing a system for heating said particles and accelerating said particles toward a substrate wherein said system comprises a heating module capable of providing gasses at a pressure of at least 3 times greater than ambient pressure, a forming module capable of providing a gas jet accelerated to supersonic velocities, and a powder feeding module capable of feeding said composite powder into said gas jet. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said system further comprises a mixing module for mixing a relatively high temperature gas with a relatively low temperature gas. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said heating module is an oxidizer-fuel combustion module. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said heating module is a plasma torch. 
   
   
       7 . A composite coating comprising:
 a nonmetallic component, present in the range of about 40-84% by weight, wherein said nonmetallic component is selected from the group consisting of carbides, borides, nitrides, carbonitrides, oxides, oxycarbonitrides or a combination thereof and has a particle size of less than 100 microns; and   an amorphous component comprising an alloy including Fe, Co, Cu, or Ni, wherein said amorphous component has less than about 50% crystallinity; and   wherein particles of said nonmetallic and said amorphous components are mixed together to provide a powder having a particle size in the range of about 15-160 microns.   
   
   
       8 . The composite coating of  claim 7 , further comprising a third metallic component. 
   
   
       9 . The composite coating of  claim 8  wherein said third metallic component comprises a crystalline metal comprising Co, Ni, Cr or combination thereof. 
   
   
       10 . The composite coating of  claim 8  wherein said nonmetallic component is imbedded in said third metallic component. 
   
   
       11 . The composite coating of  claim 7  wherein said nonmetallic component is imbedded in said amorphous component. 
   
   
       12 . The composite coating of  claim 10  wherein said nonmetallic component is imbedded said amorphous component. 
   
   
       13 . The composite coating of  claim 8 , wherein said third metallic component is less than about 50% by volume of the total metallic phase. 
   
   
       14 . The composite coating of  claim 7 , wherein particles of said amorphous component are in a form of plurality of splats of particles extended perpendicular to the spray direction. 
   
   
       15 . The composite coating of  claim 10 , wherein particles of said third metallic component imbedded with said nonmetallic component are in a form of a plurality of splats of particles extended perpendicular to the spray direction comprising third metallic component with imbedded particles of said nonmetallic component. 
   
   
       16 . The composite coating of  claim 7 , wherein said amorphous component alloy further comprises a transition metal selected from the group consisting of Mo, Cr, W or combinations thereof present at about 43% by weight or less. 
   
   
       17 . The composite coating of  claim 7 , wherein said amorphous component alloy further comprises an element selected from the group consisting of C, Si, B, Mn or combinations thereof present at about 14% by weight or less. 
   
   
       18 . A method of depositing a composite coating onto a substrate comprising:
 providing a powder comprising:
 a nonmetallic component, present in the range of about 40-84% by weight, wherein said nonmetallic component is selected from the group consisting of carbides, borides, nitrides, carbonitrides, oxides, oxycarbonitrides or a combination thereof and has a particle size of less than 100 microns; and 
 an amorphous component comprising an alloy including Fe, Co, Cu, or Ni, wherein said amorphous component has less than about 50% crystallinity; 
 wherein particles of said nonmetallic and said amorphous components are mixed together to provide said powder having a particle size in the range of about 15-160 microns; and 
   applying said powder to said substrate to form said composite coating, wherein said particles are applied under the following conditions:
 (i) E p <E melting , wherein E p  represents the total specific kinetic and thermal energy of a particle after said accelerating and heating, and E melting  represents the amount of specific energy necessary to melt all components of said particle; 
 (ii) T p >T bd , wherein T p  is a temperature of said particles and T bd  is a temperature of the brittle-ductile transformation of said amorphous components of said powder. 
   
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein
 (iii) E′ melting <E p <E melting , wherein E′ melting  represents the amount of specific energy necessary to melt said metallic component.   
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the particle size of the amorphous component is adjusted to control stresses. 
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said particles have a particles size of below 11 microns and said amorphous component has a mean particle size of about 2.5 microns. 
   
   
       22 . The method  claim 18 , wherein said coating is heat treated at a temperature above the devitrification temperature of said amorphous component.