TSS committees update.

TSS Accepted Practices Committee on Metallography

Chair: Doug Puerta, vice president & technical director, KHA-Metallurgieal; e-mail: dpuerta@ imrtest.com

Co-Chairs: Fred Anderson. CWI, metallugical lab supervisor (e-mail: fred@imrtest.com), and Will Glesener, senior metallurgist, IMR Test Labs The Accepted Practices Committee on Metallography collects and presents recommendations for the metallographic preparation of gas-turbine coatings. This is accomplished by round robin testing across the numerous coating families. Round robins have been completed on representative coatings from most families including ceramic, metallic, hardcoats, abradables, and dimensional restoration. Currently, the committee is documenting a recent round robin on molybdenum thermal spray coatings. At the completion of each round robin, the committee distributes a summary of their findings and recommendations in several ways. Round robin results and recommendations will be made available through the Thermal Spray Society web site (www.asminternational.org) as an Accepted Practice document. Currently, the Accepted Practice for nickel-ciirome-aluminum-bentonite coatings can be found on the web site. The committee is looking for volunteers, as well as for sources of various thermal spray coatings. Contact Doug Puerta.

TSS Membership, Marketing, and Outreach Committee

Chair: Dr. Ann Bolcavage, senior materials engineer, Rolls-Royce Corp.: e-mail: ann.bolcavage @rolls-royce.com

Co-Chair: Ms. Deborah K. Curtis, chief estimator, ASB Industries; e-mail: deborah@asbindustries. com

Committee focus is to increase ASM/TSS membership, add and improve benefits for current members, and promote TSS and thermal spray technology to engineers, operators, and the technical community at-large. The MM&O Committee helped create and roll-out Spray Tips, TSS's biweekly e-mail highlighting thermal spray technology and applications. Currently under development is the creation of a thermal spray application Case Study Library for the TSS Community Web Site, which will describe actual instances where thermal spray technology was used to solve materials problems or bring added value to engineering applications. Library entries will have an easy-to-read executive summary format including useful links and references, and will be available to all registered TSS Community users. Anticipated launch for the Library is the end of 2008.

The MM&O Committee also created the TSS Community Web Site Committee to help identify opportunities for content development and to highlight programs and success stories of TSS subcommittees and other newsworthy events in the diermal spray community.

Persons interested in participating in MM&O activities should contact Ann Bolcavage or Deborah Curtis.

TSS Training Committee

Chair: Dr. Pravansu Mohanty, Asst. Professor, University of Michigan Dearborn e-mail: pmohanty@umich.edu

The TSS Training Committee supports the thermal spray operator training and certification program being implemented through ASM International. Louise Wehrle, ASM Certification Manager, will support and guide all ASM affiliate certification programs. The current effort is to understand markets and stakeholders in a thermal spray operator certification program. Louise Wehrle met with Peter Heinrieh (GTS) to discuss the GTS model and possible collaboration. ASM suggested forming a separate TSS Certification Committee to ensure no conflict of interest between the governing certification body and training support.

The committee wants to integrate thermal spray projects into the curriculum at Materials Camp 2008 to introduce students to thermal spray coating solutions. A45-minute "You Pick the Coating" segment is being created for the 2008 Camp.

The committee recommends that all current Thermal Spray Practical Learning Series modules and Video Series be digitized. It also recommended that the PLS Thermal Spray "Safety" module be provided free on the ASM web site, and that all PLS modules are accessible on the web site. The Thermal Spray Video Series would now only be available on DVD. Updates to training materials to include new thermal spray processes and applications are being considered. TSS is expanding offerings with nontechnical courses for young materials professionals prior to the ITSC event; under development are "Teamwork" and "Developing Dynamic PowerPoint Presentations."

TSS Programming Committee

Chair: Mr. Mitchell R. Dorfman, director of ceramics, materials development, Sulzer Metco (US) Inc.; e-mail: mitch.dorfrnan@sulzer.com

Part of the TSS Program Committee Mission is to provide a leading forum for the exchange of global information in the thermal spray community via technical programs, proceedings, and expositions at Thermal Spray Society sponsored events. This is mainly seen through the growth of International Thermal Spray Conferences and Expos and topical events (run in years that the ITSC events are not in the Americas), which focus on a specific topic and/or market segment and bring together persons involved in this area for technology transfer, training and education, market awareness, and networking. The committee currently has 30 international members that meet once a month.

The goal of the Programming Committee is to reach out to new markets and applications through more creative programming and networking. Designers, engineers, the scientific community, and business managers are key groups that can find programming content of interest.