TABLE OF CONTENTS In Part 2 of this book, the diverse technologies of surface engineering are described and compared. There are two basic types of surface engineering, providing the substrate with a protective coating and modifying the surface to improve a critical characteristic, e.g. corrosion resistance. Almost every known method of joining two materials together has been considered for adaptation as a method of surface coating. Surface modification is rapidly developing beyond traditional simple processes such as flame hardening to far more advanced solutions to wear, corrosion and fatigue problems. The processes involved in surface coating and modification together with their scope of application are discussed below.
Discrete coatings range from the familiar paint, varnish and enamel to advanced coatings, which can only be produced under vacuum with a sophisticated electrical control system. The main types of coating are list schematically in Figure 6.1.
Despite the seemingly complex and disparate range of coating technologies, all of these coatings serve the same objective, which is to physically separate the vulnerable substrate material of a component from external damage processes. An engineer should know at least in general terms, answers to such questions as: Which coating offers a particular form of protection, e.g. wear or corrosion? How is the coating to be generated? What resources of material and equipment are required...
