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Mechanization of the Grit Blasting Process for Thermal Spray Coating Applications: A Parameter Study

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Abstract

The bond strength between a thermal spray coating and substrate is critical for many applications and is dependent on good substrate surface preparation and optimized spray parameters. While spray parameters are usually carefully monitored and controlled, most surface preparation is carried out by manual grit blasting, with little or no calibration of blast parameters. Blasting is currently highly dependent on operator skill and often surface finish is only assessed visually, meaning a consistent, reproducible surface profile cannot be guaranteed. This paper presents investigations on the effect of blast parameters (including blast pressure, standoff distance, media feed rate, blast angle, traverse speed, and media size) on surface profile for seven different metallic substrates using a mechanized, robotic blasting system and employing a brown fused alumina blast medium. Substrates were characterized using non-contact focus variation microscopy. Average surface roughness was found to be most affected by blast pressure, media size, and traverse speed, while changes to media feed rate and standoff distance had a limited effect on surface profile. Changes to blast angle resulted in limited change to average roughness, but microscopy examinations suggested a change in the mechanism of material removal.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Industrial Members of TWI as part of the Core Research Programme. A complete set of data and results from the present study is available exclusively to Industrial Members of TWI and can be found at www.twi-global.co.uk. The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions other members of TWI’s Surface Engineering team have made to the project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Surface Engineering, TWI Ltd, Cambridge, UK

    Henry Begg, Melissa Riley & Heidi de Villiers Lovelock

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  1. Henry Begg
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  2. Melissa Riley
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  3. Heidi de Villiers Lovelock
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heidi de Villiers Lovelock.

Additional information

This article is an invited paper selected from presentations at the 2015 International Thermal Spray Conference, held May 11-14, 2015, in Long Beach, California, USA, and has been expanded from the original presentation.

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Begg, H., Riley, M. & de Villiers Lovelock, H. Mechanization of the Grit Blasting Process for Thermal Spray Coating Applications: A Parameter Study. J Therm Spray Tech 25, 12–20 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-015-0324-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-015-0324-1

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