Coatings, their production and use

Abstract

Disclosed herein are agglomerate blends suitable for application to a surface of a substrate by thermal spray, thereby to produce coatings, typically nanostructured coatings, that exhibit desirable properties such as erosion, abrasion, or corrosion resistance. Such coatings have many useful applications, including but not limited to an enhancement of valve reliability and durability. For example, the nanostructured coatings may be applied to valve components (i.e., balls and seats) via thermal spray processes, wherein the feedstock powder used in thermal spray may be composed, for example, of a chromium oxide composite material that meets the protective requirements against the wear and corrosion of the valve service. The thermal spray process may involve, but is not limited to, either a plasma spray or high-velocity combustion process. Through their enhanced properties, the coatings can provide superior reliability and extended life to components such as valves. Also disclosed are methods for producing the coatings, and correspondingly coated components.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.