Corrosion Protection

There are many mechanisms in which corrosion can occur. Chemical environment, temperature, contact with dissimilar materials, material composition, and even stress to a component are some of the main factors that effect corrosion. Fortunately the technologies of thermal spray offer a wide variety of solutions to help protect components against many forms of corrosion.

When working with Thermal Spray Technologies technical staff on a corrosion prevention solution, it is very important to understand the environment in which the component is working in. Our materials engineers will use that information to engineer a coating solution specific to that components needs. Our expertise in understanding materials properties and the thermal spray processes will be used to select the proper coating material, the correct thermal spray process, and optimum process parameters.

Galvanic Corrosion Prevention Coatings

Galvanic corrosion protection of a component made from materials such as iron and steel alloys can be accomplished by depositing coatings made from zinc and/or aluminum. These coatings are considered sacrificial coatings as they will preferentially slowly corrode while minimizing the corrosion occurring to the steel. This technology has been used on many components including very large ones such as bridges found in coastal areas and wind energy windmills. The technology has been proven to be far more effective than paints for providing longer term protection.

Corrosion Resistant Coatings

There are several corrosion resistant coatings that can be engineered to provide a corrosion resistant barrier for many substrate materials in many corrosive environments. Nickel-chromium and cobalt-chromium alloys produce very good corrosion resistant coatings. These materials can be deposited with very low porosity levels (less than 1%) to prevent corrosive attack through porous connections. Oxide ceramics are also very corrosion resistant materials and can be applied to most metal substrates to provide corrosion protection.

Wear and Corrosion Resistant Coatings

Corrosion and wear are combined in many applications. Fortunately several different materials can be engineered into coatings to provide both wear and corrosion resistance. Cermet materials, (ceramic and metal) such as carbides with corrosion resistant metal binders are examples of coatings that provide protection to both corrosion and wear. Oxide ceramics are very hard and corrosion resistant which also make them good candidates as coating solutions for these applications.