Researchers from Fisher Barton Technology Center, Watertown, Wis., described a process for thermal spraying polymer matrix composites at MS&T 2019 in Portland, Oregon.
Thermal spray techniques are well suited for service where thick, functional coatings are required. Thermal spray coatings are usually inorganic and can be applied in incremental millimeter thickness. The difficulty lies in applying thermal spray coatings to fiber-reinforced composite materials that are carbon or glass reinforced polymers, which are incompatible with high temperature coating materials.
When high melting point materials are sprayed onto fiber-reinforced composites, the molten droplets damage the polymer surface preventing adhesion. In order to create adhesion to fiber-reinforced polymers with high melting point material, laser ablation is used to remove at least a portion of a polymer matrix, exposing the glass or carbon fibers, then the coating can be applied using a thermal spray process. The method yields a coated fiber-reinforced composite workpiece with the coating bonded directly to the fibers.
Title: Method of Thermal Spray Coating Fiber-reinforced Composite Materials
Authors: Irina Downs, Daryl Crawmer, Raymond Meuer, Jim Watts, Fisher Barton Technology Center
