In recent years, aircraft structural components have used a large amount of aluminum alloy. Due to harsh environments and alternating or impact loads, aluminum alloy components often suffer from wear, corrosion, and cracks. Therefore, the demand for new technologies to quickly and efficiently repair component faults is urgent. Various spraying technologies have shown unique advantages in aircraft structural component repairs. High-purity alumina ceramic powder, with its excellent properties, is widely used in spraying repair technologies. It is used to repair typical aircraft fault components. Therefore, research on the manufacturing and application of high-quality alumina powder is of great significance.
High-purity alumina ceramic powder repair technology mainly relies on various spraying techniques. Spraying technology (surface treatment) creates special working surfaces on common materials. It provides corrosion resistance, wear resistance, thermal insulation, conductivity, oxidation resistance, microwave radiation protection, and insulation. Common techniques include cold spraying, thermal spraying, and others, which have unique advantages in certain aircraft component repairs.
Cold Spraying of Alumina Ceramic Powder to Repair Aircraft Structural Failures
Cold spraying technology refers to the process where metal particles do not melt but are accelerated above critical speed by compressed air. The particles undergo deformation and directly deposit onto the substrate surface, forming a lớp phủ.
Common cold spray powders include a mixture of aluminum and alumina powders, pure aluminum powder, and general nickel-based mixed powders (including nickel and alumina).
When repairing aircraft parts with the aluminum-alumina mixed powder, it can be quickly deposited. After repair, the bonding strength between the part and coating is good (greater than 35 MPa), with hardness above 46 HB. It also has good machinability and can be used for repairing steel, aluminum, magnesium, and their alloys.
Thermal Spraying of Alumina Ceramic Powder to Repair Aircraft Structural Failures
Thermal spraying mainly uses heat sources such as flames, electric arcs, and plasma to heat the spray material to a molten or semi-molten state. The particles are then accelerated to collide with the substrate, forming a coating. Compared to other surface treatment processes, thermal spraying has a wider range of sprayable materials. Thermal spraying’s high wear resistance can effectively compensate for the disadvantages of aluminum alloy, such as low hardness, poor wear resistance, and rapid failure when damaged.
The oxides (such as alumina ceramic powder) and nitrides in thermal spray coatings can increase coating hardness and improve wear resistance. The porosity of the coating also retains a lubricating film and can accommodate debris generated by wear. This helps maintain clean contact areas and reduces friction.
Research Direction of Alumina Coating
Alumina ceramic coatings have high hardness, excellent wear resistance, and hóa chất stability, making them suitable for extreme conditions like high-temperature wear and corrosion. They have become a promising coating material. However, ceramic coatings are inherently brittle and have a significant difference in thermal expansion coefficient compared to the substrate metal. Under heavy loads, impact, or friction, ceramic coatings are prone to cracking, which limits their performance and shortens their lifespan. Therefore, toughening ceramic coatings has been a key research focus in the field of surface engineering.
To achieve better performance, meet usage requirements, and extend coating lifespan, efforts are being made in three areas: spray powder, coating composition, and coating structure. Specifically, spray powders are being refined from micron-scale to nanoscale. Coating composition is evolving from single-phase alumina to multi-component composite coatings. Coating structures are shifting from single-layer alumina coatings to multi-layer and gradient coatings. Thanks to researchers’ hard work, alumina coatings are now widely used in many fields.
Prospects of Alumina Ceramic Powders
With the development of science and technology, spraying technology demands higher requirements for powder kích thước hạt, purity, uniformity, dispersibility, and flowability. The demand for ultrafine, high-purity alumina powder is also increasing. Currently, domestic powders still cannot match the performance of imported high-end powders. Therefore, studying the repair effects of alumina ceramic powders in different sizes (micron, submicron, and nanoscale) as spray materials is crucial. It is also important to conduct specific research to meet the repair quality requirements of different structural components.
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