Thermal Spray Processing: Process Diagnostics and Control by Artificial Intelligence

热喷涂加工：人工智能的过程诊断和控制

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-04614
• 负责人: Moreau, Christian
• 金额: $ 2.84万
• 依托单位: Concordia University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=740068
• 关键词: Thermal; Spray; Processing; Process; Diagnostics

Thermal spray is a family of processes used to manufacture high performance metallic and ceramic coatings that are used in a wide variety of industrial applications. They involve feeding the material in powder form into a flame or plasma that projects it in molten form at high speed against the part to be coated. Thermal spray coatings are particularly important in aerospace, energy and natural resources, key contributors to the Canadian economy. The research program that will be performed over the next five years with this NSERC Discovery Grant award will focus on an emerging and very powerful thermal spray technology named Suspension Plasma Spray (SPS). In SPS, the ceramic coating material is applied in the form of micron- and submicron-size particles. This allows the microstructure of the coatings, and hence their thermal, electric and physical characteristics, to be highly customized to meet very specific and diverse end-user requirements including specific "functionality". It thus has the potential to substantially increase the use and value of thermal spray. Thermal spray is an inherently complex process, and SPS has two characteristics that distinguish it from current more mature processes; the very small particle size and the fact that the particles are injected when suspended in a liquid. This research program will develop the fundamental knowledge about the various phases of the SPS process to allow precise and reliable tailoring and control of the process to produce highly customized coating microstructures. This involves a combination of theoretical and experimental research, the latter using modern equipment in the thermal spray laboratory at Concordia University and electron microscopes at Concordia and other local universities. The knowledge generated will allow the development of customised sensors that will be used in industrial scale applications. For the first time, modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques will be used to tailor the SPS coating microstructure and properties with the objective of implementing such a control strategy in industry. A culturally and gender diverse group of students and other Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) will be directly involved in both theoretical and practical research and given specific responsibilities under the supervision of three professors. Students will also attend national and international conferences to present their work, and be given "soft skills" training, preparing them for future careers. SPS has the potential to make major contributions to the Canadian economy, and to sustainability and the environment. Applications include higher performing thermal and environmental barrier coatings for aircraft engines, critical to reducing fuel consumption and environmental impact of passenger aircraft; membranes for applications such as water purification; separation of gasses including carbon dioxide; and coatings for hydrogen electrolysis.

热喷涂是一系列用于制造高性能金属和陶瓷涂层的工艺，这些涂层广泛用于各种工业应用。它们涉及将粉末形式的材料送入火焰或等离子体中，将其以熔融形式高速投射到待涂覆的部件上。热喷涂涂层在航空航天、能源和自然资源领域尤其重要，这些领域是加拿大经济的主要贡献者。 该研究计划将在未来五年内通过 NSERC 发现奖进行，重点研究一种新兴且非常强大的热喷涂技术，称为悬浮等离子喷涂 (SPS)。在 SPS 中，陶瓷涂层材料以微米和亚微米尺寸颗粒的形式涂覆。这使得涂层的微观结构以及它们的热、电和物理特性能够被高度定制，以满足非常具体和多样化的最终用户要求，包括特定的“功能”。因此，它有可能大幅增加热喷涂的用途和价值。 热喷涂本质上是一种复杂的工艺，SPS有两个区别于当前更成熟工艺的特点：非常小的颗粒尺寸以及颗粒悬浮在液体中时被注入的事实。该研究项目将开发有关 SPS 工艺各个阶段的基础知识，以便精确可靠地定制和控制工艺，从而生产高度定制的涂层微观结构。这涉及理论和实验研究的结合，后者使用康考迪亚大学热喷涂实验室的现代设备以及康考迪亚大学和其他当地大学的电子显微镜。所产生的知识将有助于开发用于工业规模应用的定制传感器。现代人工智能（AI）技术将首次用于定制SPS涂层微观结构和性能，以期在工业中实施这种控制策略。 由文化和性别多样化的学生和其他高素质人才（HQP）组成的群体将直接参与理论和实践研究，并在三名教授的监督下承担具体职责。学生还将参加国内和国际会议展示他们的作品，并接受“软技能”培训，为未来的职业生涯做好准备。 SPS 有潜力为加拿大经济、可持续发展和环境做出重大贡献。应用包括用于飞机发动机的高性能热阻和环境隔离涂层，这对于降低客机的燃油消耗和环境影响至关重要；用于水净化等应用的膜；包括二氧化碳在内的气体的分离；以及用于氢电解的涂层。