Application of cold spraying for flux-free brazing of aluminium alloy 6060

In the present study, samples of aluminium alloy 6060 were coated by cold spraying with a powder of brazing alloy Al12Si. The influence of the process gas temperature on particle velocities and coating build-up was investigated. The coated samples were heat-treated in air and under argon atmosphere to investigate the wetting behaviour of the deposited Al12Si and the diffusion processes between Al12Si coatings and substrates. Coated samples were brazed flux-free under argon atmosphere by an induction heating system. The microstructure of the coated, heat-treated, and brazed samples was investigated. The shear strength of the brazed joints was determined. The results show that the brazing alloy Al12Si could be very well deposited on the substrate by cold spraying. The particle velocity increased with increasing process temperature. Correspondingly, the thickness of Al12Si coatings increased with increasing process temperature. The heat treatments showed that a very good metallurgical bond between the Al12Si coatings and the substrate could be realized by the deposition using cold spraying. The coated samples could be well brazed without fluxes. The coating thickness and overlap width influenced the shear strength of the brazed joints. The highest shear strength of brazed joints amounts to 80 MPa.