Investigation of particle in-flight characteristics during atmospheric plasma spraying of yttria-stabilized ZrO sub(2): Part 1. Experimental

A detailed investigation of the relationship between the parameters of the spray process and the in-flight properties of the particles was carried out using a multivariate statistical approach. A full factorial designed experiment concerning the spray process was performed, the spray gun parameters' current, argon flow rate, hydrogen flow rate, and powder feed rate being selected to control the process. The particle properties, viz. velocity, temperature, and diameter, were determined using an optical measurement system, DPV 2000. In addition, the standard deviations of, and the correlations between, the measured particle properties were analyzed. The results showed current to have the strongest impact on particle velocity and particle temperature and argon flow rate to be the only parameter with an inverse effect on velocity and temperature.