"Avtomatychne Zvaryuvannya" (Automatic Welding), #2, 2026, pp. 39-46
Formation of coatings containing mach-phases, under gas-thermal sputtering conditions of TiC-TiH2-Al powder
N.V. Vihilianska1, T.V. Tsymbalista1, O.P. Gryshchenko1, I.O. Koziakov1, O.Y. Gudymenko2
1E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the NAS of Ukraine
11 Kazymyr Malevych Str., 03150, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Е-mail: pewinataliya@gmail.com
2V.E. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics of the NAS of Ukraine.
02000, 45 Nauky Ave., Kyiv, Ukraine.
Е-mail: gudymen@ukr.net
This study investigates the formation of coatings via plasma spraying (PS) and high-speed gas-flame spraying (HSGFS) using a
TiH2–Al–TiC powder system. The composite powder was obtained by processing a powder mixture of the starting components
TiH2, Al and TiC in a planetary mill for 5 hours, resulting in the formation of agglomerated particles with a size of <40 μm. The
resulting composite powder contains the initial components of the mixture and the products of their interaction – titanium aluminide
Ti3Al, and MAX-phase carbides (Ti3AlC, Ti2AlC). The coatings, obtained by plasma and high-speed gas-flame spraying methods,
were investigated using X-ray phase analysis, optical microscopy and microdurometry. It has been established that, during plasma
spraying, the phase composition of the resulting coating differs significantly from that of the MHS powder used for spraying. The
coating retains a TiC phase, but in a smaller quantity than in the original powder, and contains a TiCN phase, which was formed
during the interaction of nitrogen atoms with TiC as the powder passed through the plasma jet of powder particles and came into
contact with the gas environment. Peaks for Al, the MAX phase of Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC were not detected in the X-ray diffraction
pattern, which is evidently due to the intense oxidation of the powder particles, resulting in the formation of titanium oxide TiO2 in
two forms (rutile and anatase) and aluminium oxide Al2O3. The coating contains Ti3Al and TiH2 in insignificant quantities, which are
present in the initial MHS powder. The plasma coating has a lamellar light structure with voids in the form of spalling (11 %) and
contains unmelted fine powder particles. In high-speed gas-flame spraying, the phase composition of the coating differs only slightly
from that of the starting powder; the coating inherits the phase composition of the starting MHS powder, as no new compounds are
formed apart from oxides. The coating structure is thin-lamellar, consisting of light-coloured metallic and grey oxide layers, with
a small amount of unmelted particles and a porosity of (~2 %). The microhardness of TiC-TiH2-Al system coatings is 5400 ± 1060
MPa for the PN coating and 3710 ± 950 MPa for the VSHPN coating. 23 Ref., 2 Tabl., 4 Fig.
Keywords: coatings, plasma spraying, high-speed gas-flame spraying, MAH phase, mechanochemical synthesis, phase
composition, structure, microhardness
Received: 22.05.2025
Received in revised form: 24.11.2025
Accepted: 10.04.2026
Posted online 11.04.2026
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Suggested Citation
N.V. Vihilianska, T.V. Tsymbalista, O.P. Gryshchenko, I.O. Koziakov, O.Y. Gudymenko (2026) Formation of coatings containing mach-phases, under gas-thermal sputtering conditions of TiC-TiH
2-Al powder.
Avtom. Zvaryuvannya, 02, 39-46.