Patent ID: 7341758

Claim:
A method for preparing an article having a thermal-spray coating thereon, comprising the steps of providing a substrate article having a surface; forming a coated article, the step of forming including the step of thermally spraying a coating material onto the surface of the substrate article, wherein a surface of contact between the coating material and the substrate article is a bondline; and nondestructively testing the coated article, wherein the step of nondestructively testing includes the steps of directing a transmitted ultrasonic signal into the coated article, receiving a received ultrasonic signal from the coated article, and evaluating a near-bondline region of the coated article located adjacent to the bondline using the received ultrasonic signal, wherein the step of evaluating includes the steps of establishing a spatial gate in the received ultrasonic signal to define the near-bondline region, concluding the presence of a delamination if there is a strong return in the received ultrasonic signal from the near-bondline region, and concluding the presence of a mechanical bond if there is a weak return in the received ultrasonic signal from the near-bondline region.