Process Guidelines

GUIDELINES ON THE
SPECIFICATION AND USE OF
HVOF COATINGS

Report to:
JSF ESOH Working Group
Date: March 28, 2006

Keith Legg
John Sauer
Bruce Bodger

Contact information:
Dr. Keith O. Legg
Rowan Technology Group, 1590 South Milwaukee Ave, Suite 205, Libertyville, IL 60048
Tel: 847-680-9420, Fax: 847-680-9682
Email: klegg@rowantechnology.com

Public release courtesy of Rowan Technology Group

ii
PREFACE
This document is designed as a set of guidelines for the design engineer,
covering the requirements, specifications and issues involved in
designing for the use of HVOF in place of hard chrome. The basic
information is written into the document, with additional information,
illustrations, and links to detailed summaries, reports and explanations.
Detailed additional data and reports are available on the web.

Page iii
Page iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ........................................................................... iii

Table of Contents ........................................................... v

List of Tables ................................................................. vi

List of Figures............................................................... vii

Summary ........................................................................ ix

1. Introduction ................................................. 1

2. Process fundamentals ................................ 2

2.1. Short introduction to HVOF ............................................... 2
2.2. Thermal spray processes .................................................. 4
2.3. Equipment ......................................................................... 5
2.4. Powders ............................................................................ 6
2.5. Coating parameters ........................................................... 6
2.6. Coating structure ............................................................... 7
2.7. Comparison of HVOF and chrome plating......................... 7

3. Specifications and Coating Types ............. 9

3.1. List of Specifications For Coating and Powder.................. 9
3.2. Definitions in a typical specification ................................. 11
3.3. Typical process control requirements.............................. 12
3.4. Typical QC requirements................................................. 13
3.5. Qualified Processors ....................................................... 14

4. Designing with HVOF................................ 15

4.1. Problem areas in design.................................................. 15
4.2. Run-out requirements...................................................... 16
4.3. Finishing .......................................................................... 17
4.4. Typical Applications......................................................... 19

Page v
 4.5. Use of HVOF in conjunction with other coatings ............. 20
4.6. Alternatives where HVOF cannot be used ...................... 21
4.7. Configuration control ....................................................... 22

5. Processing methods – details.................. 23

5.1. Process requirements ..................................................... 23
5.2. Spray process setup........................................................ 23
5.2.1. General coating setup ...................................................... 23
5.2.2. Optimization ..................................................................... 23
5.2.3. Rotation and traverse speed ............................................ 24
5.2.4. Stress control and measurement ..................................... 24
5.2.5. Temperature control and measurement........................... 24
5.2.6. Grit blasting ...................................................................... 25
5.2.7. Masking............................................................................ 26
5.3. NDI .................................................................................. 27
5.4. Stripping and repairing .................................................... 30
5.4.1. Repair............................................................................... 31

6. ESOH .......................................................... 32

7. Performance .............................................. 33
7.1. Properties Summary........................................................ 33
7.2. Reports and referenced documents ................................ 34

References .................................................................... 36

LIST OF TABLES
Table 2-1. Types of thermal spray processes..................................... 5
Table 2-2. Mesh vs powder size. ........................................................ 6
Table 2-3. Comparison of HVOF and chrome plating......................... 8
Table 3-1. HVOF specifications in use in the aircraft industry. ........... 9
Table 3-2. HVOF class and powder type definitions (AMS 2447 and
BAC 5851). Primary build-up and wear resistant coatings shown
with yellow background. ............................................................. 10

Page vi
Table 3-3. Commonly used Quality Control tests. ............................ 13
Table 4-1. Design considerations for HVOF. .................................... 15
Table 4-2. Typical HVOF finishes. .................................................... 18
Table 4-3. Typical HVOF applications and materials........................ 19
Table 5-1. NDI inspection methods for HVOF coatings.................... 27
Table 7-1. Summary of HVOF performance. .................................... 33

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2-1. HVOF gun ........................................................................ 2
Figure 2-2. HVOF spray of landing gear inner cylinder (Southwest
United Aeroservice). The cylinder spins while the gun traverses
back and forth along it. ................................................................. 3
Figure 2-3. Typical thermal spray booth and associated equipment
(Progressive Technologies).......................................................... 4
Figure 2-4. HVOF WC-10Co4Cr cross sectional microstructure (D.
Dudzinski, NRC IAR). ................................................................... 7
Figure 4-1. HVOF runout – typical Boeing requirements.................. 17
Figure 4-2. Runout at journal edge ................................................... 17
Figure 4-3. Overlay of Cd on HVOF – typical Boeing requirements. 20
Figure 5-1. Temperature excursions during spraying (Sauer and
Sahoo3)....................................................................................... 25
Figure 5-2. Principle of the shadow mask......................................... 26
Figure 5-3. FPI indications on HVOF coatings ................................. 29
Figure 5-4. Barkhausen noise indication over grind burn standard. . 30

Page vii
Page viii
SUMMARY
HVOF coatings are increasingly specified in place of hard chrome
plate, for wear resistance on original equipment as well as for
rebuilding worn or corroded components.
HVOF Process
‰ Line-of-sight – Good for external surfaces and internals whose
depth is not much larger than their diameter
‰ Materials – Able to deposit hard carbide and other ceramic-
metal composites for wear resistance and alloys for
dimensional restoration
‰ Temperature – Can keep temperature <375°F for high
strength steels, and lower for Al alloys
Performance
‰ Wear rate usually <1/3 that of hard chrome
‰ Corrosion in service <hard chrome (but ASTM B117 salt fog
usually shows more corrosion than chrome)
‰ Hydrogen embrittlement – none
‰ Environmental embrittlement <hard chrome (ASTM F519)
‰ Abusive grinding – generally more difficult to burn
‰ Stress – Coatings >0.003” thick (75μm) can spall if stressed to
near high strength steel yield point.
NDI
‰ Fluorescent penetrant (FPI)
‰ Barkhausen (Roll Scan) for grind burns
Critical requirements
‰ Thickness – Minimum 0.001” (25μm), maximum 0.020”
(500μm) for carbides, much thicker for alloy coatings
‰ Finish – Up to 125 Ra for wear / roller applications; <6μ” Ra
(0.15 μm) in seal applications (hydraulics, landing gear, etc.); 8
– 16 Ra for most other applications. May need to define Rz,
Tp, or other parameters, especially for seal applications.
‰ Coating edge – Avoid sharp-edged coatings, which can chip
and may cause stress risers or damage seals during
installation or assembly.
Specifications
‰ AMS 2447 (General), AMS 2448 (For use on High Strength
Steel), AMS 7881 (WC-Co powder), AMS 7882 (WC-CoCr
powder), BAC 5851 (General)

Page ix
Page x
1. Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide the basic information
required by design and repair engineers who need to specify HVOF
coatings. While thermal spray specifications cover the process, these
guidelines are intended to provide the details that are generally not
found in specifications, as well as providing information on the
limitations and pitfalls of the process.
These guidelines are designed as a succinct reference work, with
more detail provided in attached documents and references. We
assume that the user has some level of familiarity with the HVOF
process, and the various plating processes it will replace, although
references and attached documents are provided to give more detail
to those unfamiliar with it.
Notes:
‰ We will endeavor to maintain the document current, but since
usage of HVOF coatings is expanding rapidly some of the data
and information on usage may become out of date.
‰ It is assumed that the primary purpose for the use of these
guidelines is replacing hard chrome plate plating for both new
design and repair.
‰ It is important that the coating and finishing be done by
qualified providers since coating and finishing are specialized
processes.
‰ These are guidelines, not specifications, and different OEMs
and vendors may use their own specifications that are different
from the typical specifications discussed here.
‰ A wealth of information on the performance and usage of
aerospace HVOF coatings is available on the password-
protected sections of the following web sites.
Sources of information:
www.hazmat-alternatives.com This is a portal into alternatives to
reports, briefings and data on an increasing number of hazardous
materials and processes, currently including hard chrome, cadmium
and chromates.
www.materialoptions.com This is the Hard Chrome Alternatives
Team (HCAT) teaming website that contains detailed reports, raw
data, and briefings of all HCAT meetings.
Passwords and assistance with finding information are available from
Keith Legg, Rowan Technology Group, 847.680.9420,
klegg@rowantechnology.com.

Page 1
2. Process fundamentals
For detailed information on HVOF as a hard chrome replacement for
the aerospace industry see “Use of Thermal Spray as an Aerospace
Chrome Plating Alternative”, a summary developed for the JSF ESOH
IPT 1 .

2.1.Short introduction to HVOF

Unlike hard chrome, HVOF coatings are not a single material, but a
process for depositing a range of coating chemistries. Most HVOF
coatings are made using a continuous supersonic flame into which the
powder is injected. (Detonation Gun (D-gun) coating is a sole-source
proprietary HVOF process.) All HVOF coatings are dense and well
controlled, and they can impart many different properties to a surface
(wear, corrosion resistance, thermal barrier, etc.). HVOF is usually
the most expensive of the thermal spray processes (1-3 times the cost
of hard chrome), although their better performance (and hence lower
life cycle cost) often outweighs the increased cost of application.
The basic principle of the thermal spray process involves heating a
material (usually in powder form) to high temperature in a flame or
plasma and using a thermal spray gun to spray it in a high speed gas
stream onto the part to be coated. The hot powder particles
compress into pancakes on impact and bond together to form a
continuous coating that is dense and well-adhered.

Figure 2-1. HVOF gun

All HVOF guns work essentially the same way, with the primary
difference being in the fuel used and the overall gun power and
deposition rate. The flame is supersonic (as evidenced by the
supersonic shock diamonds that can always be seen in the flame).
The powder particles in the flame are typically heated from 2,900 to

Page 2
3,600°F (1,600 to 2,000°C), and are accelerated to about 1,200 -
1,600 mph (550 - 700 ms-1), well above Mach 1.
The HVOF spray process is done in a very similar way to paint
spraying. The hot particles come out of the gun in a narrow stream,
which must be moved back and forth to cover the whole surface
uniformly. For typical aerospace components such as landing gear or
hydraulics, which are cylinders, the part is rotated and the gun moved
up and down, usually using an industrial robot. The part to be
sprayed is usually placed on a horizontal table so that it rotates
vertically, or it is held in a lathe and rotated horizontally, while the
robot arm moves the gun back and forth uniformly, sometimes
pausing with the spray running off the part to allow it to cool down.

Figure 2-2. HVOF spray of landing gear inner cylinder (Southwest United
Aeroservice). The cylinder spins while the gun traverses back and forth
along it.

Figure 2-2 shows a landing gear inner cylinder being HVOF sprayed
with WC-Co. The cylinder is 2-3 feet long and 3 or 4 inches diameter.
The flame is the bright yellow streak coming from the gun at the lower
right and the color difference shows the coating building up. With the
cylinder rotating the gun has started at the left and is traversing to the
right. Spraying the entire cylinder to a thickness of 0.010” (250μm)
will take about half an hour. The ends of the area to be sprayed are
covered with a ‘hard mask”, which is a cylindrical cover that prevents
the spray coating beyond the working stroke while ensuring proper
runout.

Page 3
 HVOF spraying is usually done in a walk-in booth that provides sound
insulation, since the supersonic flame makes the process very loud.
The booth is equipped with a louvered wall and high speed exhaust
fans to pull air through the booth and carry away the overspray
(powder that misses the part, or does not stick to the surface). This
overspray (which can be up to half the powder sprayed) is caught in a
dust collector, usually outside the building. If hydrogen is used as the
fuel it is usually kept in a bulk liquid storage tank outside the building,
as is the oxygen. Kerosene is held in a drum inside the building and
fed to the gun by a pump.

Figure 2-3. Typical thermal spray booth and associated equipment (Progressive
Technologies).

2.2.Thermal spray processes

HVOF is one of a number of thermal spray processes (see Table 2-1).
It is used for chrome replacement applications (especially in
aerospace) because it is the highest quality thermal spray process,
with the highest hardness, lowest porosity and best fatigue
performance.

Page 4
Table 2-1. Types of thermal spray processes.
Process Material Heat Comments
sprayed source
HVOF Powder Supersonic Highest quality coating
flame widely available. Metal,
cermet, coatings.
Detonation Powder Fuel Available from one
gun explosion aerospace-qualified vendor –
similar quality to HVOF.
Metal, cermet, coatings.
Flame spray Powder Subsonic Softer, more porous than
flame HVOF. Metal coatings.
Plasma Powder Plasma Not quite as dense or hard
spray as HVOF. Metal, cermet,
ceramic coatings.
Wire arc Wire Electric arc Widely used for Al, Zn etc.
spray Metal coatings primarily
Cold spray Powder None or New process. Generally only
warm gas soft coatings (Al, Zn, etc)

2.3.Equipment
There are currently three major equipment manufacturers in the
HVOF aerospace market (although there are several newer
manufacturers now entering the market):
‰ Sulzer Metco – DiamondJet (DJ) system
o Gas-fueled by either hydrogen, propylene, or natural
gas and oxygen.
‰ Deloro Stellite – Jetkote system
o Fueled by hydrogen, propylene, or natural gas and
oxygen.
‰ Praxair – JP 5000 system (previously TAFA system)
o Fueled by kerosene and oxygen.
All these guns can produce equivalent coatings. In general the
JP5000 gun has the highest heat output and fastest deposition rate.

Page 5
 2.4.Powders
Powders are a rather complex part of the HVOF technology, with
hundreds of different powder designations. Carbide powders are
Table 2-2. Mesh vs powder
size.
agglomerates of micron sized carbide particles in a metal matrix.
Each manufacturer offers many slightly different forms of the same
Mesh Micron Micro- chemistry for different applications or for use in different guns, both
inch for HVOF and for plasma spray. Therefore, simply using any powder
of the same chemistry will not give the same coating quality. For this
120 125 5,000
reason it is common practice to control the supplier and powder
140 105 4,100 designation as part of the coating specification. The quality of the
final coating depends upon matching the powder, gun and deposition
170 90 3,600
conditions. Powder quality is controlled by the following (all of which
200 74 2,900 should be included in a certification document that accompanies the
powder):
230 62 2,300
‰ Size range (usually given as mesh, but sometimes given in
270 53 2,100 microns). A typical carbide powder might be designated -325
325 44 1,700 +140 (or 140/325), which means 44μm <powder size<105μm.
400 37 1,500 ‰ Manufacturing method, which determines powder morphology
625 20 800 ‰ Chemistry, including proportion of constituents.

1250 10 400 ‰ Although not usually included in the certification, coating

quality also depends on whether the binder is a mixture or an
2500 5 200 alloy, as well as on particle shape (spheroidal, angular) and
Micron ≅ 15,000/mesh density.
Because coating quality is so dependent on the match between
powder and process parameters, it is common for a major customer to
specify which powder is to be used as part of their HVOF process
specification. This means that spray shops usually keep a variety of
powders in stock and run work for different customers using different
powders with different gun settings. However, most spray shops
standardize as much as possible on a particular powder designation
from a specific supplier (often based on the requirements of their
primary customer), and use a specific set of process parameters that
they have optimized for that powder.

2.5.Coating parameters
Generally it is reasonable to use the standard spray shop process,
absent any particular reason for choosing an alternative. However, it
is very important to be sure that the process chosen has been
developed for the type of application you are using (see Section
5.2.2). If, for example, a process usually used by the supplier for
coating non-fatigue-critical parts for wear resistance is used
unchanged to coat fatigue-sensitive aircraft parts, you may have a
large fatigue debit because the hardest wear coatings happen to have
a tensile internal stress. So you should be sure that both the powder
and the coating process match your application and that the supplier

Page 6
is experienced in supplying coatings for that application.

2.6.Coating structure

Figure 2-4. HVOF WC-10Co4Cr cross sectional microstructure (D.

Dudzinski, NRC IAR).

Under the microscope carbide coatings usually look similar to Figure

2-4, which shows WC-10Co4Cr (WC 86% by weight). The carbide
particles are the dark areas and the alloy matrix is the area in
between. The carbide particles are the dark gray areas. There are
many small pores in the material, typically making up a porosity of
<1%. Sometimes these materials contain large spherical particles,
which are “unmelts” (particles that have not been melted but have
been trapped), and which must be held below a specified maximum.
Alloy coatings are much simpler, often with very little visible structure.

2.7.Comparison of HVOF and

chrome plating
Because both the deposition process and the materials are so
different, users of HVOF coatings must take these differences into
account when designing and manufacturing coated components.

Page 7
Table 2-3. Comparison of HVOF and chrome plating.
Chrome plate HVOF
Coating process Aqueous tank. Tank must Spray in air. Must be able to spin
be big enough component and access all areas
Process complexity Relatively simple – few Complex – many parameters.
parameters, but must Must be optimized for best
control bath chemistry performance
Complexity of parts Almost any shape, Externals only. Internals only
that can be coated including internals, about 1 diameter deep. Cannot
grooves. Throwing power coat inside grooves
quite good
Coating material Cr Choice of materials for wear,
corrosion, build-up
Wear resistance Good Much better. Typically <30%
wear rate of chrome
Brittleness Little ductility More brittle, may crack. Must not
have sharp edges
Bond strength Excellent. Metallurgical Good, Mechanical bond.
bond. Requires proper Requires proper surface
surface activation preparation. Can crack or
delaminate at high strain
Corrosion Fair Better than chrome in service,
resistance worse in B117 testing
Grinding Aluminum oxide wheel Diamond wheel
Finishing Grind finish (16μ”, 0.4μm, Superfinish (<6μ”, 0.15μm,
typical for seal surfaces) typical for seal surfaces)
Seals Elastomeric, PTFE PTFE energized usually needed
for actuators
NDI MPI, FPI, Barkhausen FPI, Barkhausen

Page 8
 3. Specifications and Coating
Types

3.1.List of Specifications For

Coating and Powder

Some commonly-used aerospace HVOF specifications are shown in

Table 3-1.

Table 3-1. HVOF specifications in use in the aircraft industry.

Specification Source Notes
AMS 2447 SAE, 1998 General spec for HVOF coatings
AMS 2448 SAE, 2004 HVOF of WC-Co and WC-CoCr on high strength
steel for the aircraft industry (refs AMS 7881, 7882)
AMS 2449 SAE, 2004 Grinding of HVOF coatings
AMS 7881 SAE, 2003 Spec for WC-Co powder
AMS 7882 SAE, 2003 Spec for WC-CoCr powder
BAC 5851 Boeing Thermal spray spec widely used in the aircraft
industry
BMS 10-67 Boeing Spec and definition of thermal spray powder
chemistries. Widely used in the aircraft industry
BAC 5855 Boeing Grinding of HVOF coatings
Lockheed In development (Robert Trice)
HS 4412 Hamilton Spec used on Hamilton Sundstrand components
Sundstrand (actuators, propeller systems, etc.)

The primary specifications governing the use of HVOF in the aircraft

industry are contained in the set of AMS specs (Aerospace Materials
Specifications). However, early in the use of thermal spray coatings,
Boeing developed the BAC 5851 specification for thermal spray
coatings (plasma spray, HVOF and detonation gun) and a companion
materials specification, BMS 10-67, for thermal spray powders, which
are widely used in the industry. The definitions contained in the
Boeing specifications and AMS specs are shown in Table 3-2.

Page 9
Table 3-2. HVOF class and powder type definitions (AMS 2447 and BAC 5851). Primary
build-up and wear resistant coatings shown with yellow background.
Class BAC AMS Powder chemistry
5851 2447
Type Type
1 Plasma spray
2 HVOF
3 Detonation Gun (DG) – Praxair proprietary process

4 Super Detonation Gun (SDG) – Praxair proprietary process

I 7 Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt (WC-17 or 18Co) – High Cobalt Content

II Aluminum Bronze (Cu-10Al)

III Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3-3TiO2)

IV Chromium Oxide (Cr2O3)

V Zirconium Oxide (ZrO2-5CaO)

VI Nickel-Chrome (Ni-20Cr)
5 Alloyed Ni-Cr-Al (76NI-18Cr-6Al)
6 Inconel 718 (60Ni-19Cr-18Fe-3Mo)

VII Commercially Pure Aluminum

VIII AISI 316 CRES (Fe-17Cr-12Ni-3Mo)

IX 1 Cobalt Alloy Stellite 31 (Co-25Cr-10Ni-8W)

X X 7XXX Aluminum (Al-5Zn-2Mg-2Cu)

XI AISI 46XX Steel (Fe-2Ni-0.3Mo)

XII Nickel-Aluminum (Ni-5Al)

XIII 4 Nickel-Aluminum, prealloyed (Ni-5Al)

XIV Copper-Nickel-Indium Alloy (Cu-37Ni-5In)

XV 2 Cobalt Alloy Tribaloy-400 (Co-28Mo-8Cr-3Si)*

XVI Chromium Carbide 80 (92Cr-8C) + 20(80Ni-20Cr)

3 Chromium Carbide 75 Cr3C2 + 25(80Ni-20Cr)

XVII 9 Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt-Chrome (WC-10Co-4Cr)

XVIII 8 Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt (WC-11 or 12Co) – Low Cobalt Content

10 Tungsten Carbide – Nickel (90WC-10Ni)

* Note: Tribaloy-800 (Co-24Mo-17Cr-3Si) is also used

Page 10
3.2.Definitions in a typical
specification
Typical HVOF specifications define the process in such a manner as
to ensure reproducibility. While some companies specify the process
by the coating performance, others specify the precise coating
conditions, including the coating booth in which it is to be done.
In calling out an HVOF coating it is necessary to specify the following:
1. process conditions (including maximum allowed temperature)
2. powder to be used
3. allowable substrate temperature
4. surface finish
5. QC and QA requirements.
If the coating is to be specified by performance, the following property
and performance specs will normally be necessary:
‰ Manufacturers’ spray gun and powder designations
‰ Thickness (usually 0.003-0.005” for OEM coatings and up to-
0.015”) for MRO
‰ Adhesion (ASTM C633 bond strength) > 10ksi (i.e. glue failure
before coating bond failure)
‰ Residual stress (usually defined by Almen strip)
‰ Hardness (Vickers)
‰ Porosity (defined by metallographic cross section of witness
specimen).
‰ Allowable percentage of unmelts and oxides (defined by
metallographic cross section of witness specimen).
‰ Depending on the application one or more qualification tests
may also be required. For example, Boeing requires vendors
to pass a fatigue test.
‰ If the coating is to be specified by deposition conditions, then,
in addition to the above requirements the deposition conditions
will be specified, often including
o The specific HVOF gun and controller
o The specific spray booth
o Settings for gas and powder feed rates
o Rotation and translation velocities
o Starting substrate temperature
o Maximum and minimum substrate temperature
excursions

Page 11
 ‰ With modern equipment it is possible to measure the
temperature and velocity of the particles during spraying,
which is a more reliable method for ensuring reproducible
spray conditions than specifying machine settings for gas and
powder.

3.3.Typical process control

requirements
Process control requirements ensure that spray is reproducible and
that the heat generated in spraying does not adversely affect the
component.
Temperature monitoring – Monitoring of temperature should be
done in the following way
‰ Measurement method – infrared pyrometer with a response
time of < 250msec
‰ Measurement location – Stationary spot downstream from the
flame impact at a point where the flame will not interfere with
the measurement. Measurement with a hand-held probe after
spraying is not acceptable for aerospace components.
‰ IR unit must be calibrated for emissivity of the specific surface
being coated in order to measure true temperature
Particle temperature and velocity profile – Many spray shops now
use spray monitors or spray visualization systems, such as the
Accuraspray or the SprayWatch systems. Defining particle
temperature and velocity using these systems is much better than
defining spray system settings, which can change over time as
nozzles wear or settings drift. Where this equipment is available it
should be used at least once per week, and preferably prior to daily
booth release, to ensure that the equipment is operating reproducibly.
Daily use of this type of spray monitor may be substituted for
metallographic specimens for booth release once the correlation is
established between temperature/velocity and metallography.

Page 12
 3.4.Typical QC requirements
Table 3-3. Commonly used Quality Control tests.
Method General Description
Hardness Vickers or Rockwell on polished surface or Vickers on cross section of
coating.
Tensile Adhesive pull test ASTM C-633
Residual Almen N strip
stress
Temperature IR pyrometer, with response time <250 msec.
monitoring
Surface Profilometry on ground or superfinished part. May specify simply Ra, or
roughness combination of Tp, Rp, Rv, etc.
Metallography Test coupons are sprayed, sectioned, mounted, and polished for
evaluation.
Characteristic Description
Interface Embedded grit - photostandard
contamination
Porosity Voids – photostandard or image analyzer
Oxides Stringers, etc – photostandard or image analyzer
Unmelted Undeformed particle shapes
particles
Phase content Percentage of carbide, etc
Cracks and Parallel to interface or through coating
delaminations
Booth release – Before spraying commences for the day it is
customary to require the spraying of a booth release coupon, which is
evaluated prior to commencing spraying and retained for future
reference.
Witness specimens – One or more witness specimens may be
attached to either an uncoated area of the component or to the
fixturing adjacent to the component, so that it receives the same
coating as the component, for metallographic analysis and retention.
Almen specimens – Almen ‘N’ strips, which are designed for
measuring shot peen intensity, are also used for measuring coating
stress. Specifications for coating fatigue-sensitive components
usually require a compressive Almen range. Note: Compressive
Almens can be achieved with HVOF carbides, but not usually with
alloy coatings.

Page 13
Powder – The powder chemistry, designation and vendor must be
defined and powder lots must be vendor-certified. When a previously
acceptable process begins to produce poor results one of the major
reasons may be a change in powder characteristics.

3.5.Qualified Processors
Aerospace-qualified vendors may be found in most parts of the world.
As is the case with most controlled processes, Aerospace OEMs
include a Qualified Processors List as an attachment to their coating
specifications. If direct interaction with a prospective supplier is
desired, contact your Vendor Quality Department and request a copy
of the list produced by your Company.
It is very important that the thermal spray processor be a qualified
vendor familiar with processing the types of components used for your
application.

Page 14
4. Designing with HVOF
4.1.Problem areas in design
Some situations where chrome plate is used have been found to pose
special problems when HVOF is substituted for hard chrome.

Table 4-1. Design considerations for HVOF.

Application Notes
Sharp edged Cannot be done with HVOF carbides.
coating Runout or feather edge. If sharp edge is
essential, use HVOF alloy such as Tribaloy.

Plunge Cannot plunge grind through HVOF carbide

ground O-ring – edge will chip and diamond wheel will
groove load in substrate metal. Use HVOF
Tribaloy or other hard alloy, or use backup
rings.
Wear coating HVOF coating in deep groove, hole or on
into groove, vertical wall will be very poor quality and
hole or sharp will come off. Mask, ensuring runout near
corner edge to prevent spray penetration.

Centerless Centerless grinding is not well-controlled

grinding and can chip coating. Cylinders should
have centers or holding locations to permit
wheel grinding.

Sealing Typical chrome sealing surface finish is

surfaces 16μ”. HVOF carbides require 4-6μ” to
avoid seal wear. Activated PTFE seals
work best with HVOF rods in short stroke
flight surface actuators.

Deep HVOF cannot make good coatings into

internals holes more than about 1.5 diameters deep.
Angle spray (<60° off normal) to coat into
the hole from outside the end.
Internal To avoid fatigue debit and poor coating
corners quality do not spray into corners. Coating
should run out before reaching the corner.

Page 15
 Other problem situations:
‰ Heat-sensitive alloys – HVOF can be used on heat sensitive
alloys, including Al, by keeping within allowable substrate
temperature for heat treating or shot peening.
‰ Soft alloys – Grit blast at an angle using lower pressure to
avoid embedding grit in substrate.
‰ Highly-stressed components – HVOF coatings are not as
strain-tolerant as hard chrome. Coatings will crack and may
delaminate after a limited number of cycles at strains in excess
of about 0.7% (180ksi for high strength steels). An array of
fine circumferential cracks will form on coated rods (e.g.
landing gear journals) after a number of years in service. This
has not been found to cause fatigue, corrosion or other
functional problems.

4.2.Run-out requirements
Since HVOF coatings are relatively brittle – especially the carbides
Warning: HVOF
such as WC-CoCr and Cr3C2-NiCr – sharp edges will chip. Coating
coatings with sharp
thickness must taper (run out) over a specified runout distance.
edges will chip.
Runout callouts vary from part to part and company to company.
Runout must be
Generally accepted values:
properly specified.
Do not run coatings ‰ Run-out of 0.020” for a coating thickness of 0.002-0.005”
over edges of
‰ Some designers specify runouts as small as 0.006” for an
journals, pins, holes,
OEM (0.003”) coating.
etc.
Specific situations:
‰ Shafts, hydraulic rods – HVOF coatings should run out before
the end of the component and before any internal or external
corner, not extending beyond the fillet tangent point (see
Figure 4-1).
‰ Journals – HVOF coating should run out before the end of the
journal (Figure 4-2.
‰ Holes and slots – HVOF coatings should run out before the
edge of any hole, slot or groove.
On any shaft, hydraulic rod, or similar surface, HVOF coatings should
not run over the edge of journals, ends of pins, or other edges etc.
(see Figure 4-2).
Figure 4-1 shows typical Boeing requirements for HVOF runouts near
edges and internal corners. It also shows how electroplated coatings
should be overlapped with HVOF coatings.

Page 16
 Figure 4-1. HVOF runout – typical Boeing requirements.

Figure 4-2. Runout at journal edge

4.3.Finishing
Grinding: Grinding specifications – AMS 2449. HVOF alloy coatings
Warning: HVOF
(Tribaloy, NiAl, etc.) can be finished with conventional alumina
carbide coatings
wheels. HVOF carbides (WC-CoCr, Cr3C2-NiCr, etc.) must be ground
must be finished with
with diamond wheels. To avoid setup complications machine shops
a diamond wheel or
that specialize in grinding HVOF coatings have usually developed
tape. Avoid center-
techniques for grinding both HVOF and steel with the same diamond
less grinding.
wheel.
Avoid the following
‰ Plunge grinding – Do not plunge grind carbides as this
requires grinding both HVOF and metal with same wheel.
HVOF alloys can be plunge ground, but chipping at edge is
possible.
‰ Sharp edged coatings – Edges will chip, especially with
carbides (see Section 4.2).
‰ Centerless grinding – Less well controlled, can chip coatings
‰ Excessive removal rates (abusive grinding) – It is harder to
grind burn substrates when grinding HVOF carbides than
chrome, but it is possible.
The need for diamond wheels can lead to finishing complications

Page 17
since most coated components are steels that are finished with
alumina or carbide wheels. For example, plunge grinding of carbide
coated steel to form an O-ring groove is not possible. Even it were,
the coating edge would chip. Methods of finishing steels with
diamond wheels have been developed by companies that frequently
grind HVOF coatings.
Superfinishing: For sealing applications HVOF coatings are usually
superfinished (vibrating stone or tape). Superfinishing gives a cleaner
surface with less debris than grinding alone. The aim is to achieve a
finish with flat bearing areas interspersed with controlled grooves for
oil retention 2 .

Table 4-2. Typical HVOF finishes.

Application Finish Comments
Non-sealing roller Ra = 125μ” Light polish
surfaces, tracks, etc
Non-sealing surfaces Ra = 8μ” Ground
– journals, static seals
Sealing surfaces – Ra = 4-6μ” Superfinished. Some
actuator rods, landing users specify finish
gear cylinders, etc. Rz = 50μ” max with a number of
Rp = 25μ” max finish parameters.
Tp = 50-85% at 8μ”
Note: Carbides can be superfinished to <2μ”, but Tribaloy coatings
have higher porosity and cannot take a finish <12μ”.
For example, Greene, Tweed specifies the following for HVOF coated
dynamic seal surfaces (such as hydraulic rods) using ACT® Ring
seals 3 :
Ra = 4-8μ” max
Rz = 50μ” max
Rp = 24μ” max
Tp = 50-70% at depth of p=0.25 Rz relative to line c=5% Tp

Page 18
 4.4.Typical Applications

Table 4-3. Typical HVOF applications and materials.

Application HVOF material, Substrate Finish Notes
BAC 5851 Type alloy
Landing gear – Type I, XVII (WC- 300M, A100 Superfinish <4μ” Ra WC-CoCr generally preferred for more
inner cylinder OD Co, WC-CoCr) corrosion resistance. Must be
superfinished
Landing gear – Type I, XVII, XVI 300M, A100 Grind 8-16μ” Ra WC-CoCr most widely used. Ensure
bearing journals (WC-Co, WC-CoCr, runout at each end of journal. Do not
Cr3C2-NiCr) coat over journal edge.

Landing gear – Class 1, Type XV, 300M, A100 Superfinish <8μ” Ra T400 used for higher lubricity. Must be
outer cylinder ID XVI (Plasma spray plasma sprayed to coat ID.
T400, Cr3C2-NiCr)

Hydraulic cylinder Type I, XVII (WC- 15-5PH, Superfinish <4μ” Ra Mate with energized PTFE seals
rod OD Co, WC-CoCr) 4340

Hydraulic cylinder Class 1, Type XV, 15-5PH, Grind or superfinish Usually used for higher lubricity. Must
ID XVI (Plasma spray 4340 <4μ” Ra be plasma sprayed to access ID
T400, Cr3C2-NiCr)

Hydraulic cylinder Type I, XVII, XVI 15-5PH, Grind or superfinish Must be plasma sprayed to access ID.
piston OD (WC-Co, WC-CoCr, 4340 <4μ” Ra Sometimes used with no piston coating
Cr3C2-NiCr)

Bearing journals Type I, XV, XVII, 15-5PH, Grind 8-16μ” Ra The softer Tribaloys often perform
(landing gear, XVI (T400, WC-Co, 4340, 300M, better under bearing pressure loading
actuators, WC-CoCr, Cr3C2- A100 than more brittle carbide coatings. T400
engines) NiCr) seldom takes a fine finish

Flap and slat Type I (WC-Co) Ti alloys As-sprayed, 125- Often used to rebuild Ti alloy track wear
tracks 150μ” Ra surfaces. Finer powder may be used to
provide smooth as-sprayed surface

Other wear Type I, XV, XVII, Various Grind or superfinish Types I and XVII (for higher corrosion
surfaces XVI (T400, WC-Co, 4-16μ” Ra service) most common; T400 for
WC-CoCr, Cr3C2- lubricity. May need to be superfinished
NiCr)

Build-up Type XII, XIII (Ni- All As-sprayed Quite soft, low stress. Often use build-
5Al), XV (Tribaloy) up coating with carbide cap (equivalent
approach to hard Cr on sulfamate Ni)

Page 19
 4.5.Use of HVOF in conjunction
with other coatings
HVOF coatings can be used in conjunction with other coatings,
including Cr and Cd plate, paints, etc. provided care is taken to
sequence the coating processes properly
‰ Cd and Al plate should be done after HVOF because the heat
of the HVOF process will create Cd or Al vapor. The following
Warning: Never apply:
deposit HVOF o If a Cd or Al plated region abuts an HVOF coating, the
coatings on top of Cd or Al should be run onto the HVOF, completely over
other coatings, the runout region of the HVOF coating (see Figure
especially 4-3).
cadmium.
o Note: Lack of adhesion of Cd or Al on HVOF
coatings is not considered a coating failure. Poorly
adhered electroplate should be removed with a fine
Scotchbrite pad. Drawings should contain a
notification to this effect.
‰ Hydrogen cannot be easily baked out through HVOF coatings,
so a path must always be provided for hydrogen bakeout (by
using LE Cd, for example). This is not a problem with
AlumiPlate, which uses an aprotic (H-free) process.

Figure 4-3. Overlay of Cd on HVOF – typical Boeing requirements.

Processes such as chromate conversion can be done on platings

deposited after HVOF coating.

Page 20
4.6.Alternatives where HVOF
cannot be used
Where HVOF is not a viable option there are various other hard
chrome alternatives, whose choice depends on the application.
Applications where HVOF cannot be used include:
‰ Deep bores or slots – HVOF works best when the flame is
90° to the surface. It is possible, with care, to obtain good
quality coatings down to about 30° to the surface
(depth/diameter = 1.7), but in general the safest rule of thumb
is that the depth should not exceed the diameter. (Of course
this means that one can coat a hole two diameters deep if it is
open at both ends.)
‰ Complex shapes that make the area inaccessible, such as
flanges or lugs that obscure the area to be coated.
‰ Thin dense or flash chrome replacement – HVOF coatings
cannot be made less than about 0.001” (25μm) thick.
There are several alternatives to using HVOF, although in general the
wear performance will not be as good as HVOF (and usually will not
be as good as hard chrome):
‰ Electroplated Ni and Ni composites – There are a number of
such materials available from vendors. Composites can be
more difficult to coat uniformly, while particles can become
entrained in air handling systems, causing high erosion of air
handling equipment. Used to replace hard and thin dense
chrome on IDs. Ni is a JSF restricted material.
‰ Electroless Ni – Electroless Ni-P is the most common and
easily available. Electroless Ni-B is somewhat harder and is
more commonly used on turbine engine components. The
advantage of electroless Ni is that it can uniformly coat IDs of
any length or shapes of any complexity. The primary
disadvantages are that adhesion, which is good on small
components, can be problematic on large components, heat
treating above 375°F (190°C) is required for high hardness.
Ni-B can contain up to 1% lead or thallium, since these
elements are required to control the solution. Both Ni and Pb
are JSF restricted materials, while Thallium is toxic.
‰ Nanophase Cobalt-phosphorus (nCo-P) is a coating
developed as a hard chrome alternative. It is currently being
evaluated for replacement of both hard chrome and thin dense
chrome on IDs for the F-35.
‰ Plasma spray – Plasma spray coatings are not as dense or as
wear-resistant as HVOF coatings. However, there are plasma
spray guns that can coat into deep IDs as small as 1.5”
(38mm) diameter. Because powder easily becomes trapped,

Page 21
 this approach is not recommended for blind holes.

4.7.Configuration control
HVOF coatings are overhauled differently from hard chrome coatings.
Although freshly-sprayed HVOF coatings are usually somewhat
darker than hard chrome, it is not easy to tell which coating is on a
component. (After a year or two in the field, HVOF WC-Co exposed
to the elements usually develops a light gray patina, making it easier
to distinguish.) For this reason, if a changeover is made on an
existing part from hard chrome to HVOF, thought must be given to
configuration control and to ensuring that the coating is obvious to
maintainers. Most users develop dash numbers, although some
change the part number. Others have, in addition, applied a highly-
visible paint spot to alert maintainers.

Page 22
 5. Processing methods – details

5.1.Process requirements
Coating requirements
Surface preparation Shot peen as needed, grit blast
Coating thickness 0.003”-0.015” after grind (typically 0.005”-
0.020” as-sprayed)
Coating temperature Monitor with IR pyrometer; control by gun
movement, part rotation speed, spray
pauses
Masking Hard mask with steel shim or tooling
designed for specific parts
Run-out at end of 0.050” (no sharp edges). Adjust with
coating shadow mask
Rounout around holes Masking required to run out coating around
and grooves holes, groove edges
Finishing Grind (diamond wheel for carbides),
superfinish dynamic seal surfaces (stone or
belt)
Witness specimens Include witness specimens for
metallography, Almen strips for stress

5.2.Spray process setup

5.2.1. General coating setup

The entire set up, including masking, location of air jets, location and
set up of witness specimens and Almen strips should be recorded
photographically to ensure consistent run-to-run deposition.

Warning: HVOF
5.2.2. Optimization
coating deposition Most aerospace-qualified coating vendors spray according to specs
parameters must be developed for existing customers. Usually this will be adequate,
optimized for the provided they are aerospace customers and the coating is optimized
application in which for the same application. E.g. a coating optimized for wear resistance
they are to be used. will not be optimized for fatigue. If fatigue is critical the coating must
be re-optimized for fatigue.

Page 23
 Thermal spray processes are usually optimized using Design of
Experiment (DOE) methods. This technique allows for variation of
many factors at once with limited experimental runs.

5.2.3. Rotation and traverse speed

Warning: Powder When spraying a typical cylindrical component, such as a hydraulic
lots should not be rod or landing gear cylinder, the most common approach is to rotate
changed during a the part while traversing the gun back and forth along its axis. Each
spray run. Minor pass of the gun over a point on the surface does two things:
disparities between 1. It deposits a certain thickness of coating (deposition per pass)
different lots can proportional to the powder spray rate and inversely
cause delamination proportional to the surface speed. This rate should be kept
at the coating layer constant.
interface.
2. It heats the surface as the flame and the hot, high velocity
powder strikes it. The higher the surface velocity the lower the
temperature excursion, but the shorter the time before that
area is heated again on the next revolution.
It is essential to use the correct rotation and traverse rates, both to
ensure that the deposition per pass is the same as that developed in
process optimization, and to control the surface temperature (Section
5.2.5). A typical surface speed is 55 inches/second (1,375 mm/s).
For a 3” (75mm) diameter rod, this is 1,100 rpm. The most difficult
types of parts to rotate at high speed are large, irregular items such as
landing gear components, which must usually be counterweighted.
Rotation and spray rates may need to be adjusted to spray this type of
part safely.

5.2.4. Stress control and measurement

The internal stress in the coating is critical to its performance in
fatigue. For this reason coating stress should be specified and
controlled if the application is fatigue-critical. Stress is controlled by
the deposition conditions. There are several ways of measuring
stress but the easiest, and the only one that can reasonably be used
for QA, is the Almen strip, which is more commonly used for
measuring stress in shot peening.
An Almen N strip is mounted on the spray fixturing in such a way that
the strip sees the same spray conditions as the part being sprayed.
The methods for setting up and using Almen strips and
pyrometric temperature measurement have been defined by the
HCAT 4 .

5.2.5. Temperature control and

measurement
Heat input affects substrate alloy temper and shot peen stress as well
as the final residual stress state of the coating. Temperature during

Page 24
 deposition is controlled with rotation and translation speed and
placement and number of air jets, and by pauses in spraying when a
preset temperature is exceeded. Temperature should be monitored
with an IR pyrometer, usually placed at the side of the component
opposite the flame so that temperature is sensed shortly after passing
the flame, but the flame is not itself seen by the pyrometer.

Figure 5-1. Temperature excursions during spraying (Sauer and

Sahoo4).

5.2.6. Grit blasting

Surfaces are usually grit blasted to create the correct surface profile
Warning: Surface for coating adhesion and for cleanliness. Grit blasting requirements:
roughness is
‰ Grit blast after shot peening
required for good
adhesion. ‰ High strength steels – 24 grit, 40-60 psi, 100% coverage
‰ Ti and Al alloys and other soft alloys – Avoid embedding grit at
surface by blasting at an angle and at lower pressure.
Parameters may need to be optimized.

Page 25
 5.2.7. Masking
Masking is used to prevent unwanted coating in various areas. Types
of mask:
‰ Waxes and tapes
cannot be used
‰ Fabricated hard
Warning: Tapes and mask – for commonly
waxes cannot be coated parts hard
used with HVOF. masking is usually
Hard metal masks machined from steel
are required. to prevent coating
onto unwanted
areas.
‰ Shadow mask – used
to control runout.
Hard mask or shim
set 1” or so from
surface to create
specified runout
(Figure 5-2). Correct
shadow mask setting
depends on gun
plume divergence.
Figure 5-2. Principle of the shadow
Companies exist that mask.
specialize in the design and
construction of thermal spray hard masking.

Page 26
 5.3.NDI
Table 5-1. NDI inspection methods for HVOF coatings.
Method Types of defect Notes
Fluroescent Dye Post-grinding cracks, Level 3 or 4 may be
Penetrant pits, pullouts, needed for detection of
Inspection (FPI) spiraling. In-service fine cracks
(ASTM E1417) cracks, scratches,
chips, delamination
Visual (white Fine cracks post- Some fine cracks can be
light) inspection grinding or in-service seen in visible light that
are not detectable by
FPI
Barkhausen noise Abusive grinding Similar detectability
(Rollscan) burns beneath coating as with
hard chrome. Use same
specs as chrome.
Magnetic Particle NONE Cannot be used for
inspection (MPI) HVOF coatings
Magnetic Particle Inspection is not a viable technique with HVOF WC-
Warning: MPI CoCr. It has very low sensitivity, presumably because the Co binder
cannot be used for in the carbide coating prevents field penetration.
HVOF. Use FPI for
surface damage, and Coating problems NOT caused by, or during, the grinding process are
Barkhausen Noise detectable via visual inspection using a 10X loupe.
for grind burn
detection.
Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection
FPI is not to be used on as-sprayed surfaces
‰ The inherently rough as-sprayed surface finish masks relevant
indications
‰ The inherently rough as-sprayed surface finish traps the FPI
fluid making it difficult to rinse off
Some common FPI indications (Figure 5-3):
‰ Pull-outs – Carbide particles or small sections of coating
pulled out of surface during grinding – not acceptable.
‰ Porosity – Excessive penetrant retention in pores – not
acceptable.
‰ Grind marks, spiraling and chatter – Grinding marks within
surface finish spec – acceptable. Grinding marks beyond
surface finish spec – not acceptable.
‰ In-service damage – Acceptability depends upon whether it
can be polished out.

Page 27
‰ Strain and fatigue cracks – The most cracks seen in service
are evenly-spaced circumferential cracks that occur around
landing gear inner cylinders and journals due to high stress
and coating fatigue. Not known to lead to component
corrosion or failure (cracks usually stop at coating-substrate
interface). Cracked coatings should be stripped and recoated.

‰ Delamination – Can occur in conjunction with circumferential

cracking if stresses are very high, or when coatings are
subject to high line loading.

Page 28
Figure 5-3. FPI indications on HVOF coatings

Page 29
Barkhausen Noise Inspection
Barkhausen Noise (Roll Scan) has similar sensitivity with HVOF as
with hard chrome. Grind burns can be detected through coatings of
thickness > 0.015” (Figure 5-4)

Figure 5-4. Barkhausen noise indication over grind burn

standard.

5.4.Stripping and repairing

Chemical stripping:
There are at least three recognized methods for chemically stripping
HVOF WC-Co and WC-Co-Cr coatings:
1. AMS 2448 – Rochelle Salt, electrolytic. This is the most
common method for removing carbide coatings.
2. AMS 2448 – Ni plating strip, such as Metal-X B929 immersion.
3. A newly recognized process that uses citric acid and hydrogen
peroxide is soon to be published. This is an immersion
method.
For Tribaloy Southwest United uses 50% nitric acid followed by glass
bead blasting. This method is approved by GE Aircraft Engines for
appropriate substrate alloys.
Mechanical stripping:
Coatings may be removed using grinding techniques similar to that
used for finishing
Water jet stripping:
Standard water jet stripping is not effective for HVOF coatings,
although it can be used for plasma sprayed coatings. HVOF coatings
appear to be strippable with a sonically-enhanced water jet 5 , but this
is not yet validated or qualified as of March 2006.

Page 30
 5.4.1. Repair
The only currently approved repair method for HVOF coatings is to
Warning: HVOF
strip and recoat – be sure to remove all prior coating before
cannot be repaired.
respraying. There is no current data to support HVOF coating over
Strip and recoat.
existing HVOF.

Page 31
 6. ESOH
Warning: Breathing Data on possible production of Cr6+ during HVOF spray of Cr-
of WC-Co powder containing powders such as WC-CoCr and Cr3C2-NiCr is limited, but
and dust should be HVOF is not believed to produce Cr6+ and there is no data showing
avoided. Use proper any entrainment of Cr6+ into the sprayed coating. However, there are
dust masks when known ESOH issues associated with Co and with WC-Co 6 . The
handling powder or following precautions should be followed when spraying or grinding
grinding coatings. HVOF coatings:
‰ Co has known ESOH issues, and Co in combination with WC
can trigger “hard metal disease” among workers exposed to
the powder.
‰ Always wear a NIOSH-approved mask consistent with the
powder size when handling WC-Co and WC-CoCr powder or
grinding carbide coatings. This includes within spray booths,
when handling powders and powder feeders, when grinding,
and when handling bag house or other filters.
‰ Maintain good housekeeping around areas where powder is
loaded, sprayed or ground.
‰ Some powders contain Ni and should not be handled by
personnel known to be sensitive to Ni.
Note: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has promulgated
rules for control of Cr6+ emissions from thermal spray processes
including HVOF 7 , citing emission rates that do not appear to be based
on actual measurements for HVOF systems in normal production
operation.

Page 32
 7. Performance
7.1.Properties Summary

Table 7-1. Summary of HVOF performance.

Test Capabilities
Applications tested Landing gear, turbine engines, propeller hubs,
actuators tested. Actuators and helicopter head
components currently in test.
Rig tests F-18 nose landing gear and drag brace, F-18 landing
gear pins, Dash-8 commercial landing gear, TF33
turbine engine journals, P-3 landing gear on airframe,
hydraulic actuator rods and seals
Flight tests P-3 landing gear and bomb bay door actuators, EA-
6B landing gear, Boeing 737 commercial landing gear
Fatigue Little or no fatigue debit in most cases (better than
chrome)
Cracking, spalling No spalling under typical service conditions.
Circumferential cracks often seen on landing gear
cylinders and journals after extensive use. Not
identified as a sealing or corrosion issue.
Impact Better than chrome
Wear Usually much better than chrome – often specified as
a “lifetime coating” requiring infrequent or no recoating
Corrosion Usually better than chrome in service
Embrittlement Non-embrittling. Less environmental embrittlement
than chrome
Fluid compatibility Carbides compatible with all normal service and
overhaul fluids
Limitations
Line-of-sight process. IDs can be coated
to depth of 1-2 diameters
Some coating cracks, no spalling
None found. Fine circumferential crack
pattern on high stress areas – no apparent
impact on corrosion or fatigue
Carbides may have larger fatigue debit
than chrome on lower strength alloys (Al,
Ti, IN718).
As-deposited coatings are not cracked, as
chrome is. Some cracking/spalling on
fatigue above 180ksi on high strength
steels.
Surface finish critical to prevent
counterface wear or seal damage
B117 tests worse than chrome but beach
exposure and flight experience much
better than chrome
Co-containing coatings attacked by bleach
sometimes used on wheels during
outbreaks of livestock diseases. Tribaloy
coatings slightly attacked by strong acids
an cleaning chemicals.

Warning: The It is critical to ensure that the deposition conditions have been
coating deposition optimized by the vendor for the most critical property required of the
parameters must coating. If the coating is required in a fatigue-critical application it
be optimized for must be optimized for fatigue. The deposition conditions for optimized
the application. fatigue will be somewhat different than those for optimized wear.
Usage of wear-optimized coatings on a fatigue-critical part can result

Page 33
 in a higher fatigue debit than that for chrome plate.
The only significant ways in which HVOF carbide coatings are inferior
to chrome plate are:
1. Coating integrity (cracking, spalling) at high load – The strain-
to-failure of HVOF coatings is about 0.7% (about 180ksi stress
Warning: HVOF for high strength steels). Above this HVOF coatings on
coatings can crack landing gear and similar cylindrical parts that fatigue in
and spall at high bending will develop a fine circumferential crack pattern. This
stress. does not lead to failure or corrosion, but can lead to spalling at
long times or at high stresses. Spalling does not occur for
0.003” thick coatings below yield stress (230 ksi), but thicker
coatings spall at lower stress.
2. Carbide coatings develop circumferential cracks over
extended service, usually on tensile areas of hydraulics and
journals. Cracked coatings should be replaced on overhaul,
but have not been identified as an issue.
3. Carbides coatings are brittle – HVOF carbide coatings are
more brittle than hard chrome and sharp edges must be
avoided. Coating runout is essential and grinding must be
done under a high level of control.

7.2.Reports and referenced

documents
All publicly-released HCAT and related reports are available at
www.hazmat-alternatives.com under the DoD Programs/DoD
Reports/Chrome Alternatives button at
http://www.hazmat-alternatives.com/DoD_reports_Cr_Alts.htm
Note: The location of these reports may change within the web site.
For assistance contact klegg@rowantechnology.com.
This area contains the following reports and documents (among
others):
1. Use of Thermal Spray as an Aerospace Chrome Plating
Alternative – Summary made for JSF ESOH IPT.
2. Validation of HVOF WC/Co Thermal Spray Coatings as a
Replacement for Hard Chrome Plating on Aircraft Landing
Gear, FINAL REPORT – Detailed report and data from joint
US/Canadian HCAT Landing Gear validation program.
3. Validation of Thermal Spray Coatings as a Replacement
for Hard Chrome Plating On Gas Turbine Engines, JOINT
TEST REPORT – Detailed report and data from validation
program involving P&W and Tinker AFB.
4. Replacement of Chromium Electroplating on C-2, E-2, P-3
and C-130 Propeller Hub Components Using HVOF

Page 34
 Thermal Spray Coatings, FINAL REPORT – Detailed report
and data from validation program involving NADEP Cherry
Point and Hamilton Sundstrand.
5. Chrome Replacement for Internals and Small Parts –
Summary made for JSF ESOH IPT.
6. Clean Dry-coating Technology for ID Chrome
Replacement – Report and data from development program
on use of plasma spray for coating internal diameters.
7. Field Repair of Chrome and Cadmium Replacements –
Summary made for JSF ESOH IPT.
8. Producibilty Testing on WC-Co-Cr HVOF Costing For
Landing Gear Applications: Fluid Compatibility – Report
for C-HCAT - Nihad Ben Salah, Heroux Devtek
9. Producibility Testing on WC-Co-Cr HVOF Costing For
Landing Gear Applications: Non-destructive Testing –
Report for C-HCAT - Marc-André Lefebvre & Nihad Ben Salah,
Heroux Devtek
10. Producibilty Testing on WC-Co-Cr HVOF Costing For
Landing Gears Application: Coating Characterization and
Chemical Stripping – Report for C-HCAT - Nihad Ben Salah,
Heroux Devtek
11. Producibilty Testing on WC-Co-Cr HVOF Costing For
Landing Gears Application: Surface Finishing – Report for
C-HCAT - Nihad Ben Salah, Heroux Devtek
Many other documents, reports and briefings are available from the
www.hazmat-alternatives.com web site, both in the public areas and
in the passworded areas.

Page 35
REFERENCES
1
For a detailed summary of HVOF methods and data see “Use of Thermal
Spray as an Aerospace Chrome Plating Alternative”, K. Legg and J. Sauer
(Oct 2000) http://www.hazmatalternatives.com/DoD_reports_Cr_Alts.htm .
2
See, for example, “Use of Thermal Spray as an Aerospace Chrome Plating
Alternative”, K. Legg and J.P. Sauer. http://hazmat-
alternatives.com/DoD_reports_Cr_Alts.htm
3 ®
Greene, Tweed ACT Ring Technical Data Sheet 1000M-1,
http://www.gtweed.com/85256D3C0038D8DA/vwContentByKey/N25UCQ2P
358ELETEN/$file/1000M-ACT.pdf
4
See “HVOF Almen and Temperature Measurement Specification”, J.P.
Sauer,
http://www.materialoptions.com/w2g/cgi/kmcgi.exe?O=REV0000000I4D&V=
44/Almen%2DTemp_V1.DOC and “HVOF Process Control using Almen and
Temperature Measurement”, J.P. Sauer and P. Sahoo, ITSC 2002.
http://www.materialoptions.com/w2g/cgi/kmcgi.exe?O=REV0000000GMP&V
=44/HVOF%20Process%20Control%20using%20Almen%20and%20Temper
ature%20Mea_V2.PDF
5
J-G. Legoux, HCAT Program Review, January 2006.
http://www.materialoptions.com/w2g/cgi/kmcgi.exe?O=REV0000000NP3&V=
44/Legoux%20Water%20Jet%20Stripping%20and%20Potential%20Surface
%20Pre_V1.PDF
6
See, for example, “Safety, Health and Hazardous Waste Issues of
Overspray in Thermal Spray”, K. Legg and B. Sartwell (2001),
http://www.materialoptions.com/w2g/cgi/kmcgi.exe?O=REV0000000FK4&V=
44/Overspray%20white%20paper%2C%20inc%20docs_V1.DOC and “Cobalt
Environmental and Industrial Health Risk Assessment”, C. Tomljanovic et al.
http://www.materialoptions.com/w2g/cgi/kmcgi.exe?O=REV0000000IMA&V=
44/Final%20Report%20%2D%20Co%20Environmental%20and%20Risk%20
Assessment_V1.PDF
7
“Airborne Toxic Control Measure To Reduce Emissions Of Hexavalent
Chromium And Nickel From Thermal Spraying”
http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/thermspr/fro1.pdf

Page 36