Method and apparatus for applying metal cladding on surfaces and products formed thereby

A method of rigidly securing a metal layer to a substrate surface comprising:

• (1) applying a curable adhesive layer to said substrate surface;
• (2) spraying at least a layer of hollow beads in a selected size range to said curable adhesive layer;
• (3) then curing said curable adhesive layer;
• (4) fracturing at least the ones of said hollow spheres secured on the exposed surface by abrading away at least a portion of the hollow bead surface to form an exposed matrix of undercuts, nooks and crannies in said matrix;
• (5) spraying molten metal into said exposed undercuts, nooks and crannies to form said metal layer.

A method of improving the mechanical adherence between two materials, comprising:

• (1) spraying a plurality of small sized frangible hollow beads in one of said materials, while said one of said materials is in a liquid state;
• (2) solidifying said one of said materials;
• (3) rupturing the surface ones of said frangible hollow beads to form undercuts, nooks and crannies;
• (4) flowing the other of said materials in a molten state into said undercuts, nooks and crannies;
• and
• (5) solidifying said other of said materials.

A method of metal cladding a surface comprising;

• (1) applying an adhesive layer to said surface;
• (2) spraying a layer of hollow glass or ceramic or carbon micron size spheres or a mix thereof to said adhesive layer;
• (3) curing said adhesive layer after spraying on of said spheres;
• (4) rupturing at least the surface ones of said spheres to produce a matrix of undercuts uniformly over said surface;
• and
• (5) thermally spraying metal in molten particle form applying upon said matrix to fill said undercuts, nooks and crannies with molten metal which flows into and conforms to the surfaces of said undercuts.