Application of cold gas dynamic spraying as an additive technology for producing materials based on nickel aluminide and titanium aluminide

Metal additive manufacturing is widely studied for its unique advantages over traditional manufacturing processes. It is used to form complex components of Ti, Fe or Ni alloys. However, for non-ferrous alloys – aluminum, magnesium, copper – additive technologies are not used due to rapid melting during laser, electron beam and/or arc treatment. Cold spraying is widely used as an effective technology for applying high quality coatings in the mass production of metal and alloy products and/or metal matrix composite coatings. In addition, cold spraying is a serious and effective tool for the additive manufacturing of metals, and research in this area is currently becoming intense. During heat treatment of materials obtained by cold spraying, new chemical compounds are formed – both intermetallic compounds and hardening ceramic inclusions that increase the microhardness. However, as a result of a change in the structure during chemical transformations, a change in the geometry of the product and the formation of pores can be observed.

Simulation of Thermoplastic Powder Cold Spraying

The work is devoted to the deposition of composite powder materials by cold spray method. As a spraying material, a thermoplastic compound «WAY» for marking the roadway was used. An asphalt concrete was used as a substrate. As a result of experimental studies, the dependence of the deposition efficiency on the stagnation temperature of the working air in the ejector nozzle was obtained. The ANSYS Fluent package was used for evaluative modeling of the cold spraying process. Gas flow patterns were obtained in the computational domain without particles and taking into account the interaction of the flow with particles. The trajectory of the particles was calculated for various spraying parameters

Research on structure and technological parameters of multi-channel cold spraying nozzle

Cold spraying technology is a method to obtain coating by the high-speed collision of particles with the substrate through supersonic (300–1200 m/s) propulsion gas. The deposition process is mainly mechanical bonding, which has attracted more and more attention in engineering applications. The critical component of a cold spraying system is the nozzle. The performance of the nozzle directly affects the quality of the material surface coating. Therefore, the discussion of the nozzle is of great significance. At present, there are many examples of cold spraying single-channel nozzles in engineering, but there are few reports about multi-channel cold spraying nozzles. This paper explores and studies the multi-channel cold spraying nozzle, designs a special three internal channel nozzle, and adopts a 90° angle in the divergent section of the nozzle. When spraying in a small area, the nozzle with angle has apparent advantages for spraying more areas. The powder injection pressure, particle size, recovery coefficient, and internal channel position are analyzed, which affect the particle trajectory. Combined with these factors, the multi-channel nozzle is optimized and improved to solve the problem of particle collision with the inner wall of the nozzle. Finally, the technological parameters of aluminum, titanium, copper, nickel, magnesium, and zinc powders are preliminarily studied using the multi-channel nozzle. The results show that the multi-channel nozzle meets the critical velocity requirements of copper, magnesium, and zinc powder spraying in the homogeneous (powder and matrix are the same material) and aluminum powder spraying in the case of heterogeneous (powder and matrix are different materials), the multi-channel nozzle has a sound engineering application prospect and provides a specific reference for relevant technicians.

Preparation of Wear-Resistant Coating on Ti6Al4V Alloy by Cold Spraying and Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation

In order to improve the wear resistance of Ti6Al4V alloy, the alloy was first coated with alumina-reinforced aluminum coating (CS-coating) by cold spraying, and then the alloy with CS-coating was processed by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) under unipolar mode and soft sparking mode, respectively, to prepare wear-resistant PEO coatings. For comparison, Ti6Al4V alloy without CS-coating was also subjected to PEO treatment. The microstructure, phase composition, hardness, and wear resistance of the PEO coatings formed on Ti6Al4V alloy with and without CS-coating were investigated. The results revealed that PEO coatings formed on Ti6Al4V alloy with CS-coating under soft sparking mode contained more α-Al2O3, possessed larger thickness, more compact microstructure, and higher microhardness than that formed under unipolar mode. The PEO coating formed on Ti6Al4V substrate was mainly composed of TiO2 and had pores and cracks. Among all these coatings, PEO coating formed on Ti6Al4V alloy with CS-coating under soft sparking mode exhibited the best wear resistance with a wear rate of 1.18 × 10−5 mm3/(Nm), which was only 15.28% of that of the Ti6Al4V substrate. The investigation indicated that the combination of cold spraying and PEO under soft sparking mode is a promising technique for improving the wear resistance of titanium alloy.

Cold spray micro-defects and post-treatment technologies: a review

Purpose The deposition of particles onto a substrate during the cold spraying (CS) process relies on severe plastic deformation, so there are various micro-defects induced by insufficient deformation and severe crushing. To solve the problems, many post-treat techniques have been used to improving the quality by eliminating the micro-defects. This paper aims to help scholars and engineers in this field a better and systematic understand of CS technology by summarizing the post-treatment technologies that have been investigated recently years. Design/methodology/approach This review summarizes the types of micro-defects and introduces the effect of micro-defects on the properties of CS coating/additive manufactured, illustrates the post-treatment technologies and its effect on the microstructure and performances, and finally outlooks the future development trends of post-treatments for CS. Findings There are significant discoveries in post-treatment technology to change the performance of cold spray deposits. There are also many limitations for post-treatment methods, including improved performance and limitations of use. Thus, there is still a strong requirement for further improvement. Hybrid post-treatment may be a more ideal method, as it can eliminate more defects than a single method. The proposed ultrasonic impact treatment could be an alternative method, as it can densify and flatten the CS deposits. Originality/value It is the first time to reveal the influence factors on the performances of CS deposits from the perspective of microdefects, and proposed corresponding well targeted post-treatment methods, which is more instructive for improving the performances of CS deposits.

Microstructure, Microhardness, Fracture Toughness, and Abrasive Wear of In-Situ Synthesized TiC/Ti-Al Composite Coatings by Cold Spraying Combined with Heat Treatment

TiAl intermetallic compounds, as a new kind of high-performance light-weight structural material, are widely applied in many fields. Titanium carbide (TiC) as the reinforcing phase could improve the mechanical properties, wear resistance, and heat-resistance stability of TiAl intermetallic compounds. Ti(Al, C) mixture powders were deposited by cold spraying at gas temperature of 250 °C, 450 °C, and 550 °C. Then, Ti(Al, C) coatings were annealed at temperatures of 650 °C for different times and following holding at 1100 °C for 3 h. The microstructure, microhardness, fracture toughness, and abrasive wear of Ti-Al composite coatings were investigated. The research results were that the particle size of mixture powders decreased as the ball milling time prolonging. Ti(Al) solid solution appeared in the mixture powders as the milling time increased to 30 h. The average porosity of the coating sprayed at 550 °C was the lowest (0.85%). The as-sprayed coatings exhibited the same phase compositions with the mixture powders. The coating sprayed at gas temperature of 550 °C has the highest microhardness and the lowest weight loss. Ti-Al intermetallic was in-situ synthesized after annealing at 650 °C. The average porosity of the annealed coating (sprayed at 450 °C) was the lowest. The content of Ti-Al intermetallic compounds of the annealed coating sprayed at 450 °C is the highest. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results are consistent with the EDS analysis of the annealed coatings after annealing at 650 °C. Ti-Al intermetallic compounds were almost completely formed in the three kinds of the coatings after annealing at 650 °C for 20 h and following holding at 1100 °C for 3 h. TiAl and TiAl3 intermetallic phases were in-situ synthesized in the coatings based on the energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and XRD analysis. TiC was also in situ synthesized in the coatings as the annealing temperature increased to 1100 °C. The annealed coating (sprayed at 450 °C) has the highest microhardness, fracture toughness, and wear resistance properties after annealing at 1100 °C for 3 h.

Investigation of nickel coatings obtained by laser processing on the surface of bronze

The article presents the results of a comprehensive study of the modes of laser processing during the formation of a coating on nickel-aluminum bronze using nickel powders. The coating was obtained in two stages. At the first stage, a precursor coating of the powder material was applied by cold spraying, at the second stage, its surface treatment with a laser was performed. The change in the composition and properties of the coating is shown depending on the processing modes and the thickness of the precursor coating, as well as the modes of laser processing.