This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project focuses on the development of a cost effective and scaleable approach to powder metal deposition. The uniqueness of the approach stems from a precisely tailored surface preparation coordinated with a thermal spray process with a goal of achieving a fully fused, metallurgical bond between the coated material and the substrate. Improved bonding as compared with conventional approaches would benefit coating applications ranging from thermal protection for high temperature applications, corrosion resistance for harsh environments and enhancement of surface mechanical properties such as toughness and hardness.
The research effort is aimed at proving the feasibility of the concept in a prototype environment, which will be accomplished with both experimental and computational efforts. In addition to proving the concept, an important aspect of the Phase I research will be to gain a stronger understanding of the influential processing variables, as well as concept capabilities and limitations, in order to design a scaled up device for a Phase II initiative.
