Intelligent Technology of Oxide Layer Formation by Micro-Arc Oxidation

Abstract

A methodology for the controlled synthesis of multifunctional coatings of valve metals by the method of micro-arc oxidation (MAO) was developed. It includes theoretical models describing the mechanism of oxide layers’ formation and the effect of technological parameters of the MAO process on them, and the methods of controlled synthesis. The latter allows us to carry out an automated selection of the optimal technological parameters of oxidation based on the obtained regression equations for the experimental dependences of the oxide layers’ properties on dissimilar influencing factors for the sake of required coating properties. We further propose the structure of an intelligent system for the synthesis and study of MAO coatings with a unique hardware. In particular, a pulsed technological current source provides a full range of regulation of the current pulses’ parameters; a measurement module combines measuring transducers of the parameters of the technological process and the electrophysical characteristics of oxide layers in the process of their obtainment with a guaranteed accuracy. The software contains an intelligent application that implements the proposed theoretical models and methods for obtaining coatings with the required properties. Information support contains databases and knowledge bases used in the operation of intelligent application. The results achieved in this work allow to increase the efficiency of MAO processing by reducing the time for selecting the optimal technological mode at least twice, which is a prerequisite for the development of an intelligent technology for the formation of oxide layers by the MAO method.