Tantalum Coatings Deposited on Ti 6 Al 4 V Alloy by Self-Designed Wire Electrical Explosion Spraying

The aim of this study was to develop an efficient method for producing refractory metal coatings. To that end, tantalum coatings were deposited on Ti 6 Al 4 V substrates using a self-designed wire electrical explosion spraying technique. A uniform, dense coating was obtained for an energy density of 88.4 J/mm 3 and a spraying distance of 5mm. The surface roughness of the tantalum coatings increased with the spraying distance as the latter affected the size distribution, velocity, and temperature of the explosive products, and so the flattening degree of splats. In addition, the microstructure of coating was also affected by the spraying distance. The adhesive strength of the tantalum coatings was 76 N at an energy density of 88.4 J/mm 3 and spraying distance of 5 mm. The α -Ta phase and a metallurgy layer near the interface ensured that the adhesive strength of the tantalum coatings deposited by wire electrical explosion spraying was higher than those generated using other techniques.