Thin, pancake-shaped deposit formed when a molten or softened particle hits the surface, spreads to several times its original diameter and solidifies in microseconds. A coating is a stack of overlapping splats, giving the layered, lamellar structure seen in cross sections, with oxides, pores and unmelts between them. Splat shape tells experts whether particles arrived hot, fast and fully molten.
Wipe-test splats came out splashed like flowers instead of round pancakes, the plate's too cold, give it more preheat.
Also heard as
- lamella
- lamellae
- splat structure
Related terms
Porosity
The fraction of a coating's volume made of voids between and within splats, usually reported in percent.
Oxides
Thin oxide films formed on metal particles in flight, showing as dark stringers between splats.
Unmelts
Lab shorthand for particles that hit the surface without fully melting and kept their round shape.
Thermal spray
Family of coating processes that melt or soften material and propel it onto a surface to build a layer.