Processing and properties of plasma sprayed silicon nitride-glass composite coatings

Silicon nitride decomposes before it can melt, and so thermal spraying of pure silicon nitride powder is impracticable. To address this difficulty, feedstock powder for plasma spray deposition has been developed in which each particle is a composite of silicon nitride in a low temperature borosilicate glass matrix. The research showed that the silicon nitride did not decompose in the plasma because the low thermal conductivity of the glass matrix ensured a low heat transfer rate and the particle temperature remaining below the decomposition temperature. The coating density initially increased with plasma arc power because of increasing splat flow but then declined at high power levels owing to decomposition of the glass matrix. The silicon nitride dispersion substantially reduced the splat flow, particularly near the maximum packing fraction, but also had the beneficial effect of restricting crack propagation, resulting in an optimum content for wear resistance of 30 vol.-% silicon nitride.