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Wire-Arc Spray Torches

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Handbook of Thermal Plasmas

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Abstract

Wire arc spraying is the oldest thermal spray process. While its first patents in the USA goes back to 1915 by Schoop (1915), the real potential of the technology with its expanded range of industrial applications was only recognized in the 1960s. This significant surge was mostly due to progress made in the understanding of the basic phenomena involved revealed by state of the art, high time-resolution, diagnostics techniques (Steffens 1966). By the late nineties and the beginning of the twenty-first century, several significant improvements in the equipment design and processes automation were achieved (Steffens et al. 1990; Marantz and Marantz 1990).Wire arc spraying distinctly differs from traditional flame or plasma spraying processes by the fact that the material to be sprayed is introduced into the torch in the form of a wire rather than a fine powder. The wire is then melted by the arc in the torch and atomized using a high-flow gas stream. Since the wires are used to transfer the electric current to the arc, the technology is limited to the spraying of metals or conducting cord wires. In this chapter, a brief review is presented of the basic concepts and design configurations used in wire arc spraying torches. This is followed by a description of typical torch design and their principal operating parameters. No attempt is made to review all the commercially available torch designs. The principal process characteristics are discussed next including the mechanism of droplet formation, gas and in-flight droplet velocity, temperature, as well as splat and coating formation and the coating properties. Highlights of some of the more recent modeling work in this area are also presented. A review of the industrial applications of wire arc spraying technology is separately covered in Part IV of this book “Industrial Applications of Thermal Plasmas for Materials Processing,” chapter “Wire Arc Spraying.”

Emil Pfender: deceased.

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Abbreviations

DC:

Direct current

ERW:

Electric rolled welded

HDSWAS:

High-definition single-wire arc spray

HTE:

High-temperature erosion

HVAS:

High-velocity arc spraying

ISPC:

International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry

ITSC:

International Thermal Spray Conference

LHS:

Left-hand side

NTSC:

National Thermal Spray Conference

PSD:

Particle size distribution

PTWAS:

Plasma transferred wire arc spraying

RHS:

Right-hand side

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

SWAS:

Single-wire arc spraying

SWVAS:

Single-wire vacuum arc spraying

TWAS:

Twin-wire arc spraying

UTSC:

United Thermal Spray Conference

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biotechnology Engineering, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

    Maher I. Boulos

  2. Sciences des Procédés Céramiques et de Traitements de Surface (SPCTS), University of Limoges, Limoges, France

    Pierre L. Fauchais

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Emil Pfender

Authors
  1. Maher I. Boulos
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  2. Pierre L. Fauchais
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  3. Emil Pfender
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Correspondence to Maher I. Boulos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biotechnology Engineering, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

    Maher I. Boulos

  2. Sciences des Procédés Céramiques et de Traitements de Surface (SPCTS), University of Limoges, Limoges, France

    Pierre L. Fauchais

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Emil Pfender

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Boulos, M.I., Fauchais, P.L., Pfender, E. (2023). Wire-Arc Spray Torches. In: Boulos, M.I., Fauchais, P.L., Pfender, E. (eds) Handbook of Thermal Plasmas. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84936-8_48

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