Marine
Marine
Marine Industry Solutions
At TSS, we provide advanced thermal spray services for the marine industry, designed to protect critical equipment operating under challenging environments. Marine components often face rapid degradation due to the corrosive effects of both salt and fresh water, making robust surface protection essential.
Our coating solutions address wear and corrosion concerns across a wide range of marine equipment, including piping, pumps, compressors, winches, and more, ensuring enhanced durability and performance.
Wear Resistance
Using Plasma Spray, HVOF, and other thermal spray processes, TSS delivers exceptional wear resistance by applying hard materials such as tungsten carbides and ceramics in customised blends and compositions. Coatings can be applied to virtually any marine component and subsequently ground and polished to meet the precise requirements of the application.
Corrosion Resistance
Corrosion is a persistent challenge in marine environments. TSS applies coatings of zinc, aluminium, and zinc-aluminium alloys to protect components exposed to atmospheric saltwater conditions. For parts subject to both wear and corrosion, we provide hybrid coatings—typically ceramic-based—that combine abrasion resistance and corrosion protection, offering long-lasting performance even in the harshest marine settings.
Other contents
Neutral barrier coatings, such as alumina (Al₂O₃) or chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃) ceramics, provide exceptional corrosion resistance in a wide range of aggressive environments. These coatings act by isolating the substrate from the corrosive environment, preventing direct chemical attack.
In general, neutral materials do not accelerate substrate corrosion, even if the coating exhibits some porosity. However, it is crucial to avoid corrosion at the interface between the coating and substrate, as this can lead to coating separation. To enhance performance, sealing or impregnation of the thermal spray coating is recommended.
Thicker coatings with lower porosity offer superior barrier properties, ensuring optimal protection of the underlying substrate and longer-lasting durability in demanding industrial and marine applications.
Cathodic barrier coatings are designed to be cathodic relative to the substrate material. For example, a stainless steel or nickel alloy coating will act cathodically when applied to a steel substrate. These coatings can provide excellent corrosion protection when correctly applied.
However, their effectiveness depends on complete isolation of the substrate from the environment. If the substrate becomes exposed to corrosive conditions, it will act as the anode, causing accelerated corrosion and potential coating spalling.
To maximise performance, sealing or impregnation of the coating is recommended. Additionally, thicker, low-porosity layers offer superior barrier properties, ensuring long-term protection of the substrate and enhanced durability in demanding industrial or marine applications.
Anodic coatings are primarily used to protect iron and steel substrates, typically employing zinc, aluminium, or their alloys. When applied, these coatings provide cathodic or sacrificial protection, making the substrate act as the cathode while the coating functions as the sacrificial anode that corrodes preferentially.
Even standard thermal-sprayed zinc or aluminium coatings, though somewhat porous, largely shield the substrate from the environment and deliver effective cathodic protection. For enhanced performance, the coating porosity can be sealed with organic sealers or painted, further increasing the barrier effect and prolonging the lifespan of the protective system.
This approach is widely regarded as offering superior corrosion protection compared to galvanising, plating, or painting, without incurring significant additional costs, making it an efficient and reliable solution for marine, industrial, and structural applications.
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