Acacio Rincon Romero
Research Fellow in development of a novel silicon carbide thermal spraying process
SEM image of the SiC coating produced using suspension thermal spray
Silicon carbide present excellent properties such as high hardness, low friction coefficient or minimal density which make from the ideal candidate to produce ceramic coatings for low corrosion and high wear resistance applications. However, the production of thermally spray SiC coatings faces a major challenge as SiC tends to decompose into gaseous phases under the thermal spraying conditions.
To avoid these problems an innovative SiC powder modified with an oxide layer is used to avoid the decomposition of the SiC through the thermal spray process and form a coating. In addition, the use of suspension thermal spray is used as the evaporation of the liquid media can decrease the exposure of the carbide to the extreme condition of the flame.
The project is developed under a Innovate UK program (Grant Number EP/R511730/1) with the collaboration of Hunprenco (Precision Engineers) Ltd. The coatings produced are expected to have superior wear resistance and reduced weight, that could help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand lifetime for the coated parts.