Experimental and Numerical Study of the Influence of Substrate Surface Preparation on Adhesion Mechanisms of Aluminum Cold Spray Coatings on 300M Steel Substrates

The effect of substrate surface topography on the creation of metallurgical bonds and mechanical anchoring points has been studied for the cold spray deposition of pure aluminum on 300M steel substrate material. The coatings adhesion strength showed a significant decrease from 31.0 ± 5.7 MPa on polished substrates to 6.9 ± 2.0 MPa for substrates with roughness of 2.2 ± 0.5 μm. Strengths in the vicinity of 45 MPa were reached for coatings deposited onto forced pulsed waterjet treated surfaces with roughnesses larger than 33.8 μm. Finite element analysis has confirmed the sole presence of mechanical anchoring in coating adhesion strength for all surface treatment except polished surfaces. Grit embedment has been shown to be non-detrimental to coating adhesion for the current deposited material combination. The particle deformation process during impacts has been studied through finite element analysis using the Preston–Tonks–Wallace (PTW) constitutive model. The obtained equivalent plastic strain (PEEQ), temperature, contact pressure and velocity vector were correlated to the particle ability to form metallurgical bonds. Favorable conditions for metallurgical bonding were found to be highest for particles deposited on polished substrates, as confirmed by fracture surface analysis.     

Processing Conditions Affecting Grain Size and Mechanical Properties in Nanocomposites Produced via Cold Spray

Cold spray is a coating technology based on aerodynamics and high-speed impact dynamics. In this process, spray particles (usually 1-50 μm in diameter) are accelerated to a high velocity (typically 300-1200 m/s) by a high-speed gas (pre-heated air, nitrogen, or helium) flow that is generated through a convergent-divergent de Laval-type nozzle. A coating is formed through the intensive plastic deformation of particles impacting on a substrate at a temperature below the melting point of the spray material. In the present paper the main processing parameters affecting the microstructural and mechanical behavior of metal-metal cold spray deposits are described. The effect of process parameters on grain refinement and mechanical properties were analyzed for composite particles of Al-Al₂O₃, Ni-BN, Cu-Al₂O₃, and Co-SiC. The properties of the formed nanocomposites were compared with those of the parent materials sprayed under the same conditions. The process conditions, leading to a strong grain refinement with an acceptable level of the deposit mechanical properties such as porosity and adhesion strength, are discussed.     

In-Situ Agglomeration and De-agglomeration by Milling of Nano-Engineered Lubricant Particulate Composites for Cold Spray Deposition

Nano-engineered self-lubricating particles comprised of hexagonal-boron-nitride powder (hBN) encapsulated in nickel have been developed for cold spray coating of aluminum components. The nickel encapsulant consists of several nano-sized layers, which are deposited on the hBN particles by electroless plating. In the cold spray deposition, the nickel becomes the matrix in which hBN acts as the lubricant. The coating demonstrated a very promising performance by reducing the coefficient of friction by almost 50% and increasing the wear resistance more than tenfold. The coatings also exhibited higher bond strength, which was directly related to the hardenability of the particles. During the encapsulation process, the hBN particles agglomerate and form large clusters. De-agglomeration has been studied through low- and high-energy ball milling to create more uniform and consistent particle sizes and to improve the cold spray deposition efficiency. The unmilled and milled particles were characterized with Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy, BET, and hardness tests. It was found that in low-energy ball milling, the clusters were compacted to a noticeable extent. However, the high-energy ball milling resulted in breakup of agglomerations and destroyed the nickel encapsulant.     

Rare Earth/Metal Composite Formation by Cold Spray

Nd₂Fe₁₄B permanent magnet/aluminum composite coatings were produced by cold spray deposition. Isotropic Nd₂Fe₁₄B powder was blended with aluminum powder to make mixtures of 20-80 vol.% Nd₂Fe₁₄B, and these mixtures were sprayed at temperatures of 200-480 °C. The hard Nd₂Fe₁₄B particles tended to fracture and fragment upon impact, while aluminum underwent severe plastic deformation, eliminating pores, and trapping Nd₂Fe₁₄B within the coating. It was found that higher spray temperatures and finer Nd₂Fe₁₄B particle sizes improved the retention rate of Nd₂Fe₁₄B within the composite structure. This was explained from a contact mechanics viewpoint by calculating the effect of process parameters on the rebound momentum of Nd₂Fe₁₄B particles. The magnetic properties of Nd₂Fe₁₄B remained unaffected by the cold spray process.     

Novel Method of Aluminum to Copper Bonding by Cold Spray

Cold spray bonding (CSB) has been proposed as a new method for joining aluminum and copper. At high speeds, solid Al particles impacted the groove between the two substrates to form a bond between Al and Cu. Compared to traditional welding technologies, CSB does not form distinct intermetallic compounds. Large stainless steel particles were introduced into the spray powders as in situ shot peen particles to create a dense Al deposit and to improve the bond strength of joints. It was discovered that introducing shot peen particles significantly improved the flattening ratio of the deposited Al particles. Increasing the proportion of shot peen particles from 0 to 70 vol.% decreased the porosity of the deposits from 12.4 to 0.2%, while the shear strength of joints significantly increased. The tensile test results of the Al-Cu joints demonstrated that cracks were initiated at the interface between the Al and the deposit. The average tensile strength was 71.4 MPa and could reach 81% of the tensile strength of pure Al.     

Impact of high velocity cold spray particles

This article presents experimental data and a computational model of the cold spray solid particle impact process. Copper particles impacting onto a polished stainless steel substrate were examined in this study. The high velocity impact causes significant plastic deformation of both the particle and the substrate, but no melting was observed. The plastic deformation exposes clean surfaces that, under the high impact pressures, result in significant bond strengths between the particle and substrate. Experimental measurements of the splat and crater sizes compare well with the numerical calculations. It was shown that the crater depth is significant and increases with impact velocity. However, the splat diameter is much less sensitive to the impact velocity. It was also shown that the geometric lengths of the splat and crater scale linearly with the diameter of the impacting particle. The results presented will allow a better understanding of the bonding process during cold spray.     

Microstructure and properties of Al<Subscript>3</Subscript>Zr/2024Al in situ composites after forging

To research the influencing rule of severe plastic deformation on Al matrix in situ composites, 10 wt% Al₃Zr/2024Al in situ particle-reinforced composite was prepared by direct melt reaction (DMR), and then, the composite was hot-forged by one direction with 90 % plastic deformation. Then, the microstructure of the forging state composite was observed, and the change law of mechanical properties and friction performances after and before plastic deforming was compared. The results indicate that the Al₃Zr-reinforced particle rotates and breaks into smaller size of 10–20 µm with the matrix flow; in addition, these smaller particles distribute more orderly in orientation and dispersedly. The 2024 matrix grain changes from as-cast tissue to fibrous tissue with length of 100 µm along the forging direction. Some mechanical properties of composites hot-forged by one direction with 90 % plastic deformation are improved much obviously. For example, the tensile strength is improved by 39.75 %, reaching 225 MPa, and the hardness is improved by 35.84 %, reaching HBW 76.83. Besides, the wear rate reduces, wear depth and area decline, and the wear-resisting property is improved after hot forging.     

Reactive spraying of nickel-aluminide coatings

Reactive spraying of nickel aluminides was accomplished via reaction synthesis techniques in which nickel and aluminum powders were fed through a direct- current plasma torch onto carbon steel substrates. The as- sprayed coatings obtained by reactive spraying were characterized by x- ray diffraction and microscopic techniques. Reactive spraying of nickel and aluminum resulted in coatings consisting of Ni, Al, Ni ₃Al, NiAl₃, Ni₅Al₃, NiAl, and Al₂O₃, depending on the experimental conditions. Nickel aluminide phases observed in plasma spray depositions were compared with the phases obtained by combustion synthesis techniques, and the formation of phases in reactive spraying was attributed to the exothermic reaction between splats of aluminum and nickel. Primary and secondary reactions leading to the formation of nickel aluminides were also examined. The splat thickness and the reaction layer suppressed the formation of desired equilibrium phases such as Ni₃Al and NiAl. As- sprayed coatings were annealed to enhance the diffusional reactions between the product phases and aluminum and nickel. Coatings obtained by reactive spraying of elemental powders were compared with as- sprayed and annealed coatings obtained with a bond coat material in which nickel was deposited onto aluminum particles.     

Effect of the Cold-Sprayed Aluminum Coating-Substrate Interface Morphology on Bond Strength for Aircraft Repair Application

This article is dealing with the effects of surface preparation of the substrate on aluminum cold-sprayed coating bond strength. Different sets of AA2024-T3 specimens have been coated with pure Al 1050 feedstock powder, using a conventional cold spray coating technique. The sets were grit-blasted (GB) before coating. The study focuses on substrate surface topography evolution before coating and coating-substrate interface morphology after coating. To study coating adhesion by LASAT^® technique for each set, specimens with and without preceding GB treatment were tested in load-controlled conditions. Then, several techniques were used to evaluate the effects of substrate surface treatment on the final coating mechanical properties. Irregularities induced by the GB treatment modify significantly the interface morphology. Results showed that particle anchoring was improved dramatically by the presence of craters. The substrate surface was characterized by numerous anchors. Numerical simulation results exhibited the increasing deformation of particle onto the grit-blasted surface. In addition, results showed a strong relationship between the coating-substrate bond strength on the deposited material and surface preparation.     

The Effect of Submicron Second-Phase Particles on the Rate of Grain Refinement in a Copper-Oxygen Alloy During Cold Spray

The effect of non-deformable submicron second-phase particles (d = 200-500 nm) on microstructural refinement during cold spray was examined. Using single particle impact testing, two types of splats were fabricated using two different feedstocks: a Cu-0.21wt.%O powder containing Cu₂O second-phase particles and a single-phase Cu. Microstructural evolution analysis using high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction shows grain refinement occurred at a higher rate in the Cu-0.21wt.%O powder. That was due to dynamic recrystallization initiated by particle-stimulated nucleation (PSN). High-strain-rate deformation of cold spray was found to be the key to activate PSN. The present study suggests cold spray is a possible technique to fabricate ultrafine-grained materials by using feedstock containing second-phase particles.     

Formation of Cold-Sprayed Ceramic Titanium Dioxide Layers on Metal Surfaces

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) coatings have potential applications in biomedical implants or as photo-catalytic functional systems. Cold spraying is a well-established method for metal on metal coatings. In cold spraying, the required heat for bonding is provided by plastic deformation of the impacting ductile particles. In contrast, few authors have investigated the impact phenomena and layer formation process for spraying brittle ceramic materials on ductile metal surfaces. In this study, the formation of TiO₂ coatings on aluminum, copper, titanium, and steel substrates was investigated by SEM, TEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the deposition efficiency depends on spray temperature, powder properties, and in particular on substrate ductility, even for impact of ceramic particles during a second pass over already coated areas. Ceramic particles bond to metallic substrates showing evidence of shear instabilities. High-resolution TEM images revealed no crystal growth or phase transitions at the ceramic/metal interfaces.     

Crystallization Evolution of Cold-Sprayed Pure Ni Coatings

Cold spraying is a coating technology on the basis of aerodynamics and high-speed impact dynamics. Spray particles (usually 1-50 μm in diameter) are accelerated to high velocity (typically 300-1200 m/s) by a high-speed gas (preheated air, nitrogen, or helium) flow that is generated through a convergent-divergent de Laval type nozzle. The coating forms through the intensive plastic deformation of particles impacting on the substrate at temperatures well below the melting point of the spray material. In the present paper, the main processing parameters affecting the crystallization behavior of pure Ni cold spray deposits on IN718 alloy are described. Various experimental conditions have been analyzed: gas temperature and pressure, nozzle to substrate distance. In particular, the study deals with those conditions leading to a strong grain refinement, with an acceptable level of the deposits mechanical properties. In precise spray conditions, a shift toward amorphous phases has been observed and studied. A systematic analysis of microstructural evolution, performed through TEM observations, as a function of processing parameters is presented.     

Cold-Sprayed Al Coating for Corrosion Protection of Sintered NdFeB

A protective Al coating was achieved on the sintered NdFeB magnet by cold spray. The sprayed Al particles generate plastic deformation and hang together. The thickness of the coating is about 170 μm. The corrosion currents of Al coating and NdFeB without immersion tested by potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solutions are 1.350 × 10^?6 and 4.361 × 10^?6 A/cm², respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry results confirm that the oxide film is Al₂O₃ and the corrosion process can be derived into two different stages. The Al coating can provide long-term protection for NdFeB effectively.     

Thin film coatings of WO<Subscript>3</Subscript> by cold gas dynamic spray: A technical note

Dense and adhesive WO₃ films were prepared on a silicon substrate by the cold gas dynamic spray process (or cold spray). In contrast to standard metallic coatings, there was no sizable crater formation and plastic deformation. However, the aggregation of raw powder particles of a relatively large size was found to be destroyed upon impact on the substrate, forming a highly irregular surface with very fine secondary particles and providing good interlocking powder and void reduction among the particles in the coating. High-resolution images of the substrate interface showed that particles at the interface were more densely packed and that good adhesion was obtained. There fore, the particle bombardment onto the first layer of the coating could provide enhanced adhesion to the substrate mechanically and/or chemically.     

Influence of Substrate Characteristics on Single Ti Splat Bonding to Ceramic Substrates by Cold Spray

The cold spray technique may be used to fabricate metal matrix composites and to metallize ceramics. Both applications involve the creation of metal/ceramic interfaces, which are well researched for other processes but not nearly as much for cold spray. Here, the effect of ceramic substrate composition and surface roughness on adhesion strength of metallic splats is investigated. Splat adhesion testing was performed on Ti splats deposited on Al₂O₃ substrates with varying average reduced peak height roughness (R_pk) values. Ti splats sprayed onto Al₂O₃ with the lowest surface roughness had a higher bond strength (305?±?87 MPa) than splats deposited on the higher surface roughness Al₂O₃ (237?±?47 MPa). Failed interfaces revealed that the bonding mechanism for substrates with higher surface roughness is predominantly mechanical interlocking. Adhesion to the Al₂O₃ substrate with low surface roughness is predominantly along the periphery of the particle where jetting occurs. Splat adhesion testing was also performed on Ti splats deposited on SiC. Ti splats had a significantly higher bond strength to all Al₂O₃ substrates than to SiC. Posttest observations of SiC substrates showed little evidence of bonding. Several rebounded or detached splats left traces of Ti along the periphery of the impacted particle.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Warm-Sprayed Titanium Coating on Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic

Polymer materials are increasingly dominating various engineering fields. Recently, polymer-based composite materials’ surface performances—in particular, surface in relative motion—have been improved markedly by thermal spray coating. Despite this recent progress, the deposition of high-strength materials—producing a coating thickness of the order of more than 500 μm—remains highly challenging. In the present work, a highly dense and thick titanium coating was successfully deposited onto the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) substrate using a newly developed high-pressure warm spray (WS) system. The coating properties, such as hardness (300 ± 20 HV) and adhesion strength (8.1 ± 0.5 MPa), were evaluated and correlated with the microstructures of the coating. In addition, a wipe-test and in situ particle velocity and temperature measurement were performed to validate the particle deposition behavior as a function of the nitrogen flow rate in the WS system. It was found that the microstructures, deposition efficiency, and mechanical properties of the coatings were highly sensitive to nitrogen flow rates. The coating porosity increased with increasing nitrogen flow rates; however, the highest density was observed for nitrogen flow rate of 1000 standard liters per minute (SLM) samples due to the high fraction of semi-molten particles in the spray stream.     

The influence of ceramic particles on bond strength of cold spray composite coatings on AZ91 alloy substrate

Al-Al₂O₃ composite coatings were produced on AZ91D magnesium alloy substrates using kinetic metallization (KM), which is a special type of cold spray using a convergent barrel nozzle to attain sonic velocity. The effect of the volume fraction of Al₂O₃ particles and KM spray temperatures on the microstructure, hardness of the composite coatings, the deposition efficiency, and the bond strength between the coating and substrate was studied. Results show that addition of Al₂O₃ particles not only significantly improves the density of the coating, but also enhances the deposition efficiency to an optimum value. The bond strength of the composite coatings with the substrate was found to be much stronger than the coating itself, measured using a specially designed lug shear method. Furthermore, based on bond strength data and SEM analysis, higher Al₂O₃ content resulted in a failure mode transition from adhesive failure to cohesive failure. This is considered a result of a competition between the strengthening of the ceramic reinforcing particles at the coating/substrate interface, and the weakening of coating cohesive strength due to an increase in the proportion of weaker Al-Al₂O₃ bonds compared with stronger Al-Al bonds. Characterisation of the composite coating in terms of hardness, porosity and microstructure was also conducted.     

New-Generation Aluminum Composite with Bottom Ash Industrial Waste

Industrial waste bottom ash (BA) from a pulverized coal combustion boiler containing hard wear-resistant particles was utilized in this study to form an aluminum composite through a liquid metallurgy route. Composites comprising 5 wt.% and 10 wt.% bottom ash were characterized for their physiochemical, microstructural, mechanical, as well as tribological properties, along with pure aluminum. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) microstructure revealed uniform distribution of BA particles throughout the matrix of the composite, whereas x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed presence of aluminosilicate phase. Addition of 10 wt.% BA improved the Brinell hardness number (BHN) from 13 to 19 and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) from 71 MPa to 87 MPa, whereas ductility was adversely reduced after 5% BA addition. Incorporation of BA particles resulted in reduced dry sliding wear rates examined up to 80 N load compared with aluminum. Hence, such composites having lower cost could be applied as significantly hard, wear-resistant materials in applications in the automotive industry.     

A Study on Passive and Electrochemical Response of Pure Nickel in Borate Buffer Solutions: Effect of Cold Deformation

In the present work, influences of the cold deformation on electrochemical and passive response of pure nickel in three solutions with adjusted pH values of 8.5, 9.0, and 9.5 at 298?±?1 K (25?±?1 °C) were investigated. A cold deformation process was applied by means of cold rolling. Implementation of the cold deformation process resulted in samples having a finer microstructure. Also, the cold work and grain refinement led to increased hardness. In addition, open-circuit potential and potentiodynamic polarization tests were performed and results showed that corrosion current density was reduced by applying the cold deformation. Moreover, the results of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Mott–Schottky analyses indicated higher corrosion resistance of pure nickel after cold deformation. This behavior is attributed to the growth of much thicker, with less point defects, passive layer on the surface of cold-deformed samples.     

面向工业设计的塑料表面铝涂层的结合强度

目的采用电弧喷涂方法在环氧树脂和ABS塑料表面喷涂铝涂层,研究涂层结合强度的影响因素。方法第一组试验是塑料表面喷砂后,喷涂铝涂层;第二组是塑料表面喷砂后,涂覆一层高强度环氧树脂结构胶,再喷涂铝涂层。选择喷涂气体压力、喷涂电流和喷涂距离三因素进行正交试验,采用粘结拉伸法测试结合强度,并用照相法测量铝液和环氧树脂塑料、Q235钢的接触角。结果本试验条件下,二种塑料电弧喷涂铝涂层结合强度的影响因素主次顺序为:空气压力喷涂电流喷涂距离。最优方案是:喷涂气体压力为0.7 MPa,喷涂电流为220 A,喷涂距离为160 mm。未涂覆高强度环氧树脂结构胶的涂层,结合强度最大不超过3 MPa;涂覆高强度环氧树脂结构胶的涂层,结合强度达到近20 MPa。铝液和Q235钢的接触角是45°,和环氧树脂塑料的接触角是135°。结论环氧树脂和ABS塑料表面电弧喷涂铝涂层的结合强度低的主要原因是铝液和它们之间的润湿性差。涂覆高强度环氧树脂结构胶后,喷涂工艺参数对涂层的结合强度影响不明显,结合强度受控于环氧树脂结构胶的粘接作用,使涂层的结合强度显著提高。