Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca
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Past Winners
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
University of Toronto
Materials Science and Engineering
University of Toronto
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
University of Toronto
CACT Manager
University of Toronto2009 Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering
The Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies (CACT) was established at the University of Toronto in 1998 as a multidisciplinary laboratory to improve the fundamental understanding of thermal spray technology. CACT is led by Drs. Javad Mostaghimi and Sanjeev Chandra of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Dr. Tom Coyle of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dr. V. A. Pershin.
Thermal spray coating is an efficient and environmentally friendly method of applying metal or ceramic coatings. Molten metal or ceramic particles are sprayed at high velocities to apply a protective coating to the surface of components that must endure extreme heat, abrasion and/or corrosion. Identified by Industry Canada as a key enabling technology for the aerospace industry, common thermal spray applications range from engines to chemical reactors. The process is now finding applications in medicine for coatings on joint and dental implants, and as a low-cost process for manufacturing fuel cells and solar panels.
CACT is developing technologies with Pratt & Whitney Canada that improve the efficiency of jet engines by increasing the operating temperature. In a project for BMW, the team developed metal-based insulators using nano-grained stainless steel to line the walls of combustion chambers.
In 1999, a spin-off company, Simulent Inc., was created to commercialize numerical simulation developments, and a second company, Ablazeon Inc., was established in 2008 to commercialize innovative plasma systems. Since 2006, CACT has been awarded two NSERC Idea to Innovation grants for two inventions: a high-efficiency plasma spray torch that can be used for coating, waste destruction and gasification processes, and a low-temperature oxy-fuel spray torch that deposits coatings with minimal thermal degradation of powders.
