System, apparatus, and method for deflected thermal spraying
AssigneeFlame-Spray Industries, Inc.
InventorsDavid J. Cook, Keith A. Kowalsky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system (100), apparatus (110), and method (900) for creating a particle stream (70) that is deflected with a secondary gas (518) such as air before coming into contact with the treated substrate surface (80). The system (100) can be implemented as an improvement to a prior art PTWA (plasma transferred wire arc) thermal spraying apparatus (50) by using a non-symmetrical passageway configuration (549). Such a configuration can be an attribute of a nozzle (220) or a secondary gas director (576) such as an air baffle (578).
Claims20
A plasma spray system (100) for projecting a horizontally deflected particle stream (91) onto a surface (80) using a plurality of gases (510) that include a plasma gas (512) and a secondary gas (518), said plasma spray system (100) comprising:
- a cathode (212);
- a wire (310) that includes a free end (370),
- a horizontal plane perpendicular to said wire (310) in which said cathode (212) rotates around said free end (370) of said wire (310), wherein said horizontally deflected particle stream (91) is deflected either (a) in the direction of the rotation of the cathode (212) or (b) opposite to the direction of the rotation of the cathode (212);
- a nozzle (220) that includes a nozzle face with an opening (224);
- and
- a non-symmetrical passageway configuration (549) that causes said secondary gas (518) flowing through said non-symmetrical passageway configuration (549) to deflect said horizontally deflected particle stream (91),
- wherein said plasma gas (512) is directed to said cathode (212) to create a plasma arc (60) between said free end (370) of said wire (310) and said cathode (212);
- wherein said deflected particle stream (90) is created by said plasma arc (60) melting said free end (370) of said wire (310).
A plasma spray apparatus (110) for projecting a deflected particle stream (90) onto a surface (80), said plasma spray system (100) comprising:
- a plurality of gases (510) that includes a plasma gas (512) and a secondary gas (518);
- a wire (310) that includes a free end (370);
- a cathode (212);
- a horizontal plane perpendicular to said wire (310) in which said cathode (212) rotates around said free end (370) of said wire (310) while said plasma arc (60) melts said free end (370) of said wire (310);
- and
- a nozzle (220) that includes a nozzle face, an opening (224) in said nozzle face, and a non-symmetrical nozzle passageway configuration (249) that includes a non-symmetrical nozzle passageway (240), said non-symmetrical nozzle passageway configuration (249) causing said secondary gas (510) to horizontally deflect said deflected particle stream (90) in a deflection direction (94) within said plane of rotation that is either (a) in the same direction as the movement of said cathode (212) or (b) in the opposite direction as the movement of said cathode;
- wherein said plasma gas (512) is directed to said cathode (212) to create a plasma arc (60) between said free end (370) of said wire (310) and said cathode (212);
- wherein said deflected particle stream (90) is a horizontally deflected particle stream (91).
A method (900) of projecting a particle stream (70) onto a surface (80) using a plurality of gases (510) that include a plasma gas (512) and a secondary gas (518), said method (900) comprising:
- moving (910) said plasma gas (512) towards a cathode (212), wherein the cathode (212) is in a horizontal plane that is perpendicular to a wire (310) that includes a free end (370), and wherein the cathode (212) rotates around said free end (370) of the wire (310) in said horizontal plane;
- igniting (920) a plasma arc (60) with said plasma gas (512);
- creating (930) said particle stream (70) by melting said free end (370) of said wire (310) in contact with said plasma arc (60);
- and
- horizontally deflecting (940) said particle stream (70) by directing said secondary gas (518) through a non-symmetrical passageway configuration (549) that includes at least one passageway (540), wherein said non-symmetrical passageway configuration (549) includes a nozzle (220) that includes an opening (224), wherein said particle stream (70) is a horizontally deflected particle stream (91) that is deflected either (a) in the direction of the rotation of the cathode (212) or (b) opposite to the direction of the rotation of the cathode (212).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.