Influence of Cold Spray Parameters on Bonding Mechanisms: A Review

The cold spray process is governed by the impact of high velocity feedstock particles onto a substrate without melting. Hence, the bulk material properties are retained. However, it is challenging to achieve good adhesion strength. The adhesion strength depends on factors such as the cold spray process parameters, substrate conditions, coating/substrate interactions at the interface and feedstock material properties. This review examines fundamental studies concerning the adhesion mechanisms of cold spray technology and considers the effect of cold spray input parameters such as temperature, stand-off-distance, pressure, process gas, spray angle, and traverse speed of the cold spray torch on the bonding mechanism and adhesion strength. Furthermore, the effects of substrate conditions such as temperature, hardness, roughness and material on the adhesion mechanism are highlighted. The effect of feedstock properties, such as feed rate, shape and size are summarized. Understanding the effect of these parameters is necessary to obtain the optimal input parameters that enable the best interfacial properties for a range of coating/substrate material combinations. It is expected that feedstock of spherical morphology and small particle size (<15 μm) provides optimal interfacial properties when deposited onto a mirror-finished substrate surface using high pressure cold spray. Deep insights into each parameter exposes the uncovered potential of cold spray as an additive manufacturing method.

A Repair Method for Damage in Aluminum Alloy Structures with the Cold Spray Process

Aluminum alloy structures may be damaged due to wear or corrosion while in service. These damages will bring about huge financial costs, as well as a huge amount of energy consumption. There is an urgent need to search for an appropriate repair method in order to solve this problem. In this research, the cold spray process was used to repair the damages by using a mixture of powders with Al and Al2O3. A 7N01-T4 aluminum alloy plate with a factitious pit was regarded as the damaged sample. The microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior were studied. The results showed that there were no visible perforative pores or cracks in the repaired areas. The microhardness of the repaired areas was in the range of 57.4–63.2 HV and was lower than that of the 7N01-T4 aluminum alloy. The tensile strength of the repaired samples was markedly improved compared with the unrepaired samples. The alternate immersion test results indicated that the repaired samples had the lowest rate of mass loss compared with 7N01-T4 and the unrepaired samples. After alternate immersion tests for 504 h, the repaired samples were covered with dense corrosion products. The repaired samples had a superior corrosion resistance compared to that of 7N01-T4. Thus, the cold spray process is a method of repairing damage in aluminum alloy structures.

Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of the Aluminum Alloy Components Repaired by Cold Spray with Al-Based Powders

Aluminum alloy components of high-speed trains have a great risk of being corroded by various corrosive medium due to extremely complex atmospheric environments. This will bring out huge losses and reduce the safety and stability of trains. In order to solve the problem, cold spray process was used for repairing the damage of the aluminum alloy components with Al-based powders. Microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior were studied. The results indicated that there were very few pores and cracks in the repaired areas after repairing. The average microhardness of the repaired areas was 54.5 HV ± 3.4 HV, and the tensile strength of the repaired samples was 160.4 MPa. After neutral salt spray tests for 1000 h, the rate of mass loss of the samples repaired by cold spray was lower than that of 6A01 aluminum alloy. The electrochemical test results showed that the repaired areas had a higher open circuit potential than 6A01 aluminum alloy. As a result, the repaired areas such as the anode protected its nearby substrate. The samples repaired by cold spray exhibited better corrosion than 6A01 aluminum alloy. Cold spray process and Al-based powders are applicable for repairing the aluminum alloy components of high-speed trains.