Thermally sprayed aluminum, applied by arc or flame spray, typically 200 to 300 micrometers thick over steel blasted to white metal with a sharp angular profile. Aluminum protects both as a barrier and sacrificially, and it is widely used on offshore structures, risers, flare stacks and insulated piping where corrosion under insulation is a threat. A thin sealer or paint is often applied on top, and a well-applied TSA system outlasts most paint systems in marine exposure.
Splash-zone legs get TSA at 10 to 12 mils and a sealer, no paint over it.
Bring each area to full thickness in one session; thin spots left for touch-up later invite flash rust and weak bonding between layers.
Also heard as
- thermally sprayed aluminum
- thermal spray aluminum
- aluminum metallizing
Related terms
Metallizing
Shop and field name for thermal spraying, especially zinc and aluminum sprayed on steel for corrosion.
Twin-wire arc
Process that melts two electrically charged wires in an arc and blows the molten metal onto the part with air.
White metal
The highest blast-cleaning grade for steel: every trace of rust, scale and old coating removed.
Sealer
A thin liquid resin brushed or soaked into a sprayed coating to fill its connected porosity.
Anchor profile
The peak-and-valley roughness grit blasting leaves on a surface, which the coating locks onto.