Session *BB2.1

1:30 PM *BB2.1
INTELLIGENT CONTROL IN THERMAL SPRAY PROCESSES. Christian Moreau, Patrick Gougeon, Luc Leblanc, Marc Prystay, Martin Viens, Alain Blouin, Denis Drolet and Jean-Pierre Monchalin, National Research Council Canada, Industrial Materials Institute, Boucherville, QC, CANADA.

Consistency and reproducibility of the physical properties of coatings are among the most important characteristics of thermally sprayed materials currently being used in some demanding applications. Spraying the same coating, day after day, on the production line becomes a key factor for success in these critical applications. To achieve this goal, not only the sources of variability in the deposition processes must be identified, but also their influence on the coating properties must be understood and eventually minimized on the production line. In this presentation, we will review some recent developments on sensors for monitoring the state of key spray parameters such as the temperature and velocity of the sprayed particles and the substrate temperature during spraying. The influence of these parameters on the characteristics of the coatings will be emphasized. We will discuss also techniques for non destructive testing of the deposited coatings based on laser-ultrasonics and thermography.