"Department of protective coatings. Research laboratory of vacuum coatings"

Mikhail A.ANDREEV

Head of the department, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

DEPARTMENT OF PROTECTIVE COATINGS

The department consists of five laboratories with pilot-experimental bays, which enable to solve issues of protective coatings for various branches of industry.

The department goes in for fundamental investigations and development of technologies, equipment and materials to spray coatings on the surface of parts with a given level of physical and mechanical properties.

Main directions of fundamental investigations:

study of the mechanism of formation of coatings being produced by methods of thermal spraying and physical deposition;
development of theoretical and technological modification of materials by microplasmaspark methods, study of mechanisms of structure formation and of dynamics of a stressed state of modified materials, of kinetics of physical and chemical processes, passing in the volume of coating and in the boundary "coating-substrate";
search and development of principles to control processes of structure formation and attainment of required operating characteristics during microplasmaspark treatment of materials;
study of wear-resistance and corrosion-resistance, other exploitation properties of coatings.

The structure of the department consists of 5 research laboratories.

      - Research laboratory of synthesis processes of powder composite;
      - Research laboratory of plasma spraying of coatings;
      - Research laboratory of flame processes of spraying coatings;
      - Research laboratory of vacuum coatings;
      - Research laboratory of microplasmachemical and electro physical processes of treatment.

Co-workers of the department developed techno-logical processes of restoration and strengthening parts of friction units, constructions and structures, which work in conditions of a corrosive medium and elevated temperatures.

In the department there are developed powder composites which are characterized by homogeneity of a chemical composition and a structure in a dispersive state and in a coating after spraying as well as by heredity of physical and mechanical characteristics in coatings.

Subdivisions specialize in the following directions:

Plasma treatment of materials (powders, wire): spraying on air, under a lowered pressure, in a controlled atmosphere, under water; electroarc metallization.
Microplasmaspark treatment of materials in different transfer media, microplasmaspark alloying with ultrasound modification (MPSA+USM) and anode microarc oxidizing (AMAO).
Flame treatment of materials (powders, wire, tinsel cords): spraying, high rate spraying; gaseous powder surfacing.
Plasma-vaccuum spraying: deposition of coatings using physical methods of thermal, electron-ray, ion-plasma spraying.
Synthesis of composites for spraying: mechanical alloying, selfpropagating high temperature synthesis (SHS).
Perspective technologies of spraying thermal coatings: high temperature and high velocity flame spraying (HVOF), powder synthesis.

As of 01.01.2005 the total employment of the department is 42 persons, including 1 Ph.D. in Technical Sciences and 8 Doctors of Technical Sciences.

RESEARCH LABORATORY OF VACUUM COATINGS

Head of the research laboratory is Mikhail A. Andreev

Main directions of the research works of the laboratory:

development of technological principles of forming functional combined coatings using beams of charged particles;
development of materials and technological processes to spray strengthening, wear resistant, protective and decorative and other functional vacuum coatings on products from metal, ceramics and glass

In the laboratory there are developed high effective technologies of forming wear resistant strengthening coatings under a lowered temperature for cutting tools, machining attachments, parts of cars and mechanisms.

Developed technologies are successfully used in machine building, medicine, textile and other branches of industry. Refractory metals of the IV-VI groups of the elements periodic system (Ti, Мо, Сr, Zr, Hf), as well as nonmagnetic metals (Сu, Аl, noncorrosive steel) are used as source materials to realize the abovesaid technologies. Nitrogen, argon, oxygen are working gases.

The technology is realized on vacuum equipment being equipped with electric arc and ion sources of plasma jets generation. The process temperature does not exceed 200°С due to an ion assisting during formation of vacuum coatings. An application of the given technology enables the following:

to widen an assortment of the strengthened material excluding its tempering during spraying coatings;
to improve the coatings wear resistance by increasing its density using the ion assisting;
to improve adhesive characteristics of the coatings by a preliminary surface purification and its activation with a low energy beam of gas ions;
to improve aesthetic characteristics of decorative coatings by getting rid of microelectric arc charges originating using a conventional method of spraying vacuum coatings by a method of the electric arc evaporation.


Parts with vacuum coatings being made in the laboratory

In the laboratory investigations to determine tech-nological specific features of forming vacuum coatings by the method of ion-beam spraying are carried out. An advantage of the given technology as compared with conventional physical methods of spraying vacuum coatings is in a possibility to spray coatings by spraying composite targets of a complicated composition saving the target composition almost completely in the stoichiometric coating.