The thermal spraying of aluminum as an adhesive-bond pretreatment

Additional testing is needed to identify the best coating composition and spray procedures. The flexibility of the thermal-spray process allows the coating to be optimized for specific applications. Thus, the best coating for the northeastern United States and upper midwestern United States might be different than the best coating for the southwest area. Similarly, the best coating for a wear surface is likely to differ from that used for bonded repair or that used for adhesively bonded bridge decks. A family of coatings for typical applications would allow engineers to select the appropriate coating for various projects. To provide confidence in this decision, both laboratory and field testing are needed to demonstrate the benefits of the process and to allow estimates of projected lifetime.