The Al2O3-13 wt.% TiO2 (AT13) composite coatings were prepared on Q235 steel by plasma spray technique. The spray parameters were designed by the orthogonal experiments, and the properties of the coating were evaluated. Results showed that with respect to the bond strength of the coating, the optimized spraying parameters were the plasma current of 530 A, Ar flow of 41 L/min, H2 flow of 10 L/min, and spray standoff distance of 100 mm. The plasma spray process led to the transition of α-Al2O3 to γ-Al2O3, resulting in the increase in the porosity of AT13 coating prepared at nonoptimized parameters. Meanwhile, the porosity and cracks were also increased due to the decrease in the Ar flow and the increase in spray standoff distance. The low porosity, a few cracks, and the uniformly dispersed TiO2 particles contributed the enhanced properties including mechanical and corrosion behaviors of the AT13 coating prepared at optimized parameters. The bond strength, microhardness, and thermal shock resistance of the AT13 coating could reach 25.01 MPa, 1000.6 HV0.5, and 40 times when the coating was prepared at optimized parameters, respectively. Especially, the static Icorr of the AT13 coating prepared at optimized parameters was two order of magnitude less than that of Q235 steel. In addition, the erosion weight loss of Q235 steel could be decreased about 30 times by the protection of the AT13 coating.

Nickel-based alloys are commonly used as protective coating materials for surface protection applications owing to their superior resistance to corrosion, wear and high-temperature oxidation. It is urgent to study the fundamental mechanism between the structure and corrosion properties of the Nickel-base composite coatings. This paper, therefore, focuses on clarifying the mechanisms of the microstructure influencing the acid corrosion and mechanical characteristics of the as-sprayed NiCrBSi coating and post-heat-treated coating. The formation mechanisms of the amorphous phase of flat particles during the plasma spray process were studied by using X-ray diffraction analysis, Raman spectroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscope at first. Then the evolutionary process of the corrosion structure and phase of the coating in the accelerated corrosion experiment is directly visualized by using scanning electron microscopy and energy spectrum analysis. The mechanical properties of the amorphous NiCrBSi coatings are lastly measured by microhardness and friction wear tests. The critical phenomena and results help to elucidate the relative influence of the surface features of atmospheric plasma sprayed coatings on acid corrosion responses and wear resistance, aiming at contributing to the development of a protective technique for electrical engineering.

Corrosion is a severe problem for steel structures in humid environments. In particular, humidity usually triggers the surface adhesion of microorganisms, leading to microbiologically induced corrosion. This study aims to explore the effect of bacterial biofilm formation on the pitting corrosion of stainless steel. This research uses electrochemical methods to obtain indirect evidence of the pitting corrosion of steel. In addition, in order to obtain direct evidence of the pitting corrosion of stainless steel, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the dimensional morphology of the stainless steel after pitting. It was shown that the bacterial adhesion increased with the pH and temperature, which significantly increased the surface roughness of the stainless steel. Electrochemical analysis revealed that the formation of biofilm greatly destroyed the oxide film of 304 SS and accelerated the corrosion of stainless steel by forming an oxygen concentration battery. SEM and AFM analyses showed cracks and dislocations on the surface of stainless steel underneath the attached bacteria, which suggested a direct role of biofilm in corrosion induction. The results presented here show that the bacterial biofilm formation on the steel surfaces significantly accelerated the corrosion and affected the pitting corrosion process of the steel structure.

Rapid manufacturing moulds by plasma arc spraying is a new kind of plasma arc machining technology. This technology has many advantages. An experimental apparatus has been set up. The influence of some special factors on the surface quality of work moulds formed by plasma arc spraying have been analyzed and experimentally researched. The micro structure of the interface between master moulds and work moulds shows that work moulds copy geometrically master moulds very well after optimizing processing parameters. Some experimental samples by plasma arc spraying have been obtained. They show that the surface patterns of work moulds match with the ones of master molds very well.

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