The Effects of Successive Impacts and Cold Welds on the Deposition Onset of Cold Spray Coatings

In this study, the impact and deposition behavior of nickel particles onto relatively soft 6061-T6 aluminum alloy and copper substrates in a kinetic spray process was investigated by comparing individual particle impact with full coating deposition. The results indicated that the deposition onset of nickel coatings on the two substrates follows different deposition mechanisms depending on corresponding deformability of the impact couples (substrate and particle). Nickel particles were hardly attached onto the relatively soft 6061-T6 substrate in case of individual impact, but the deposition onset of full coating took place depending on embedding, tamping of successive impact and metallurgical “cold welds” of viscous metal at impact interface when the impinging particles’ velocity was relatively low. In case of Ni-Cu impact, the bonding formed at the peripheral impact interface dominated the deposition onset of nickel coating due to the comparable deformability of the impact couples (Ni and Cu).     

Study of the Influence of Particle Velocity on Adhesive Strength of Cold Spray Deposits

The adhesion mechanism of deposit/substrate interface prepared by the cold spray method is not fully understood at present. It seems that the adhesion strength is mainly determined by the mechanical (including the plastic deformation of particle and substrate) and thermal interaction between particle and substrate when the particles impact onto the substrate with a high velocity. In order to understand the adhesion mechanism, a novel adhesive strength test was developed to measure the higher bonding strength of cold sprayed coatings in this study. The method breaks through the limits imposed by glue strength in the conventional adhesive strength test, and it can be used to measure the coatings with a higher adhesive strength. The particle velocity was obtained with DPV-2000?measurement and CFD simulation. The relationships between the adhesion strength of deposits/substrate interface and particle velocity were discussed. The results show that stronger adhesion strength can be obtained with the increase of particle velocity. There are two available ways to improve the adhesion strength. One is to increase the temperature of working gas, and another is to employ helium gas as the working gas instead of nitrogen gas.     

Cold Gas-Sprayed Deposition of Metallic Coatings onto Ceramic Substrates Using Laser Surface Texturing Pre-treatment

Cold spraying enables a variety of metals dense coatings onto metal surfaces. Supersonic gas jet accelerates particles which undergo with the substrate plastic deformation. Different bonding mechanisms can be created depending on the materials. The particle–substrate contact time, contact temperature and contact area upon impact are the parameters influencing physicochemical and mechanical bonds. The resultant bonding arose from plastic deformation of the particle and substrate and temperature increasing at the interface. The objective was to create specific topography to enable metallic particle adhesion onto ceramic substrates. Ceramic did not demonstrate deformation during the impact which minimized the intimate bonds. Laser surface texturing was hence used as prior surface treatment to create specific topography and to enable mechanical anchoring. Particle compressive states were necessary to build up coating. The coating deposition efficiency and adhesion strength were evaluated. Textured surface is required to obtain strong adhesion of metallic coatings onto ceramic substrates. Consequently, cold spray coating parameters depend on the target material and a methodology was established with particle parameters (diameters, velocities, temperatures) and particle/substrate properties to adapt the surface topography. Laser surface texturing is a promising tool to increase the cold spraying applications.     

基体表面粗糙度对冷喷涂粒子沉积过程影响的物质点法数值分析

目的 解决有限元法模拟冷喷涂粒子沉积过程时存在的网格畸变等问题,并探讨粒子和粗糙基板的结合方式。方法 基于物质点法建立冷喷涂粒子沉积的仿真模型。利用FORTRAN语言自编程序对铜粒子冷喷涂铜基板的过程进行仿真分析,并与其他研究中的试验结果进行对照,结果吻合较好,表明物质点法模拟冷喷涂粒子沉积问题是可行且有效的。此外,分析基体表面粗糙度对粒子沉积过程的影响规律,并探讨粒子在不同位置沉积的结合机理。结果 随着表面粗糙度的增大,粒子扁平化趋势增大,回弹动能减小。表面粗糙度足够大时,粒子射流可能和基板形成机械咬合结构;粒子在波谷处沉积时受两侧波峰作用难以扁平化,但是凹坑深度增大,回弹动能减小,粒子基板结合强度增大;粒子在左侧半腰处沉积时,其在切向速度分量作用下与右侧波峰形成二次接触,形成了较长的射流。结论 粒子与基板的结合强度随着表面粗糙度的增大而增大。粒子在波峰处可以形成机械咬合结构;在波谷处凹坑深度增大、回弹动能减小,起填充作用;在半腰处能够与右侧波峰产生二次接触,增大结合强度。研究结果可为冷喷涂工艺生产提供一定指导。     

Effect of Substrate Temperature on Deposition Behavior of Copper Particles on Substrate Surfaces in the Cold Spray Process

The deposition behavior of sprayed individual metallic particles on the substrate surface in the cold spray process was fundamentally investigated. As a preliminary experiment, pure copper (Cu) particles were sprayed on mirror-polished stainless steel and aluminum (Al) alloy substrate surfaces. Process parameters that changed systematically were particle diameter, working gas, gas pressure, gas temperature, and substrate temperature, and the effect of these parameters on the flattening or adhesive behavior of an individual particle was precisely investigated. Deposition ratio on the substrate surface was also evaluated using these parameters. From the results obtained, it was quite noticeable that the higher substrate temperature brought about a higher deposition rate of Cu particles, even under the condition where particles were kept at room temperature. This tendency was promoted more effectively using helium instead of air or nitrogen as a working gas. Both higher velocity and temperature of the particles sprayed are the necessary conditions for the higher deposition ratio in the cold spraying. However, instead of particle heating, substrate heating may bring about the equivalent effect for particle deposition. This article is an invited paper selected from presentations at the 2007 International Thermal Spray Conference and has been expanded from the original presentation. It is simultaneously published in Global Coating Solutions, Proceedings of the 2007 International Thermal Spray Conference, Beijing, China, May 14-16, 2007, Basil R. Marple, Margaret M. Hyland, Yuk-Chiu Lau, Chang-Jiu Li, Rogerio S. Lima, and Ghislain Montavon, Ed., ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 2007.     

几种金属基板上冷喷涂铜涂层的试验与模拟

采用自主研制的冷喷涂设备在三种典型基板上进行喷涂试验,相同的工艺参数下,在铜和铝基板上得到良好的铜涂层,而在钢基板上则没有沉积.实验结果表明:涂层与基板界面、涂层内部颗粒界面结合良好,铜涂层组织致密,显微硬度高达150HV0.1;从涂层表面形貌扫描电镜(SEM)照片中可以观察到射流状的金属,说明颗粒发生了巨大变形,经计算知颗粒在碰撞中压缩率达69%;粉末和涂层的X射线衍射(XRD)结果表明铜粉末在冷喷涂过程中没有发生氧化.同时,数值模拟了铜颗粒与三种基板的碰撞过程,讨论了形成有效结合的判断准则,根据该准则,计算出铜颗粒在铜、铝、钢基板上的临界沉积速度分别为600m/s,500m/s,800m/s,从而解释了铜颗粒在三种基板上不同的沉积行为.     

Bonding Mechanisms in Cold Spraying: The Contributions of Metallurgical and Mechanical Components

The mechanism of bonding in cold spraying is still a matter of some debate. In this work, copper has been cold sprayed onto aluminium alloy substrates, the surfaces of which had been prepared in a variety of ways. The coating-substrate bonding was assessed via a novel intermetallic growth method along with adhesive pull-off testing, and related to the substrate preparation method. The bond strength has been rationalized in terms of a modified composite strength model, with two operative bonding mechanisms, namely (i) metallurgical bonding and (ii) mechanical interlocking of substrate material into the coating. In most cases, mechanical interlocking is able to account for a large proportion of the total bond strength, with metallurgical bonding only contributing significantly when the substrate had been polished and annealed prior to spraying. In addition, grit-blasting has been shown to significantly reduce the bond strength compared to other substrate preparation methods.     

Microstructural Development and Deposition Behavior of Titanium Powder Particles in Warm Spraying Process: From Single Splat to Coating

Warm spraying has been developed by NIMS, in which powder particles are accelerated and simultaneously heated, and deposited onto a suitable substrate in thermally softened solid state. In this study, commercially available titanium powder was sprayed onto steel substrate by the spraying process. Microstructural developments and deposition behaviors from a deposited single particle to a thick coating layer were observed by high resolution electron microscopes. A single titanium particle sprayed onto the substrate was severely deformed and grain-refined mainly along the interfacial boundary of particle/substrate by the impact of the sprayed particle. A successive impact by another particle further deformed the previously deposited particle and induced additional grain refinement of the remaining part. In a thick coating layer, the severe deformation and grain refinement were also observed. The results have demonstrated the complex deposition behavior of sprayed particles in the warm spraying using thermally softened metallic powder particles.     

超音速冷气动力喷涂Cu涂层的结合机理

简要介绍了冷喷涂技术特点及工艺原理。分析了超音速Cu颗粒与基材高速撞击沉积过程，借助扫描电镜分析了涂层结合机理：涂层与基体的界面结合以及涂层之间的粒子结合主要以机械咬合为主；涂层之间的结合同时有部分冶金结合和物理结合。     

Cold gas dynamic spraying of aluminum: The role of substrate characteristics in deposit formation

Aluminum powder of 99.7 wt.% purity and in the nominal particle size range of −75+15 μm has been sprayed onto a range of substrates by cold gas dynamic spraying (cold spraying) with helium, at room temperature, as the accelerating gas. The substrates examined include metals with a range of hardness, polymers, and ceramics. The substrate surfaces had low roughness (R _a < 0.1 μm) before deposition of aluminum in an attempt to separate effects of mechanical bonding from other forms of bonding, such as chemical or metallurgical bonding. The cross-sectional area of a single track of aluminum sprayed onto the substrate was taken as a measure of the ease of initiation of deposition, assuming that once a coating had begun to deposit onto a substrate, its growth would occur at a constant rate regardless of substrate type. It has been shown that initiation of deposition depends critically upon substrate type. For metals where initiation was not easy, small aluminum particles were deposited preferentially to large ones (due to their higher impact velocities); these may have acted as an interlayer to promote further building of the coating. A number of phenomena have been observed following spraying onto various substrates, such as substrate melting, substrate and particle deformation, and evidence for the formation of a metal-jet (akin to that seen in explosive welding). Such phenomena have been related to the processes occurring during impact of the particles on the substrate. Generally, initiation of aluminum deposition was poor for nonmetallic materials (where no metallic bonding between the particle and substrate was possible) and for very soft metals (in the case of tin, melting of the substrate was observed). Metallic substrates harder than the aluminum particles generally promoted deposition, although deposition onto aluminum alloy was difficult due to the presence of a tenacious oxide layer. Initiation was seen to be rapid on hard metallic substrates, even when deformation of the substrate was not visible. The original version of this article was published as part of the ASM Proceedings, Thermal Spray 2003: Advancing the Sciences and Applying the Technology, International Thermal Spray Conference (Orlando, FL), May 5–8, 2003, Basil R. Marple and Christian Moreau, Ed., ASM International, 2003.     

Q345R板材表面冷喷涂Al-Zn涂层的组织及性能研究

目的 研究添加元素Zn含量的变化对涂层的显微组织、孔隙率、硬度及涂层-基体间界面结合强度等的影响规律.方法 采用冷喷涂技术在Q345R板材表面制备性能优良的纯Al和Al-Zn复合涂层,通过扫描电子显微镜对涂层的形貌进行分析,通过维氏显微硬度计对涂层的力学性能进行表征,并揭示涂层与基体间的界面结合机理.结果 冷喷涂纯Al...     

Effect of Substrate Temperature on Cold-Gas-Sprayed Coatings on Ceramic Substrates

This study focuses on cold-gas-sprayed deposition of metallic coatings onto ceramic substrates for application in power electronics. In order to achieve the required surface activation for bonding, the substrate is heated during spraying. The effects of substrate temperature on bond strength and coating properties are investigated for cold-gas-sprayed coatings of copper and aluminum on Al₂O₃. It is found that the adhesion strengths of the cold-gas-sprayed coatings and that of the single-impacting particles increase with the increasing temperature and roughness of the substrate. Coatings sprayed on heated substrates show relatively low compressive stresses and low hardness, while their electrical conductivity reaches high values of over 90% IACS. Overall, a higher substrate temperature is found to improve the coating properties significantly.     

Improvement of Adhesion and Cohesion in Plasma-Sprayed Ceramic Coatings by Heterogeneous Modification of Nonbonded Lamellar Interface Using High Strength Adhesive Infiltration

The mechanical properties and related performance of thermally sprayed ceramic coatings are degraded by their relatively low adhesion and cohesion resulting from the limited bonding at substrate/splat interface and splat/splat interface. In this study, the influence of high strength adhesive infiltration on the microstructure and erosion performance of plasma-sprayed Al₂O₃ coatings was investigated to understand the improving mechanism of adhesion and cohesion through heterogeneous modification of nonbonded interfaces. Element distribution maps proved that the adhesive can be infiltrated from the coating surface to the coating/substrate interface through the inter-connected open pores including in-plane nonbonded area and microcracks in splats. Both adhesion and cohesion can be significantly improved by the heterogeneous modification of nonbonded lamellar interfaces of both splat/splat and splat/substrate through adhesive infiltration. The adhesive strength of the coating was increased from several MPa to ~50 MPa after adhesive infiltration. The erosion resistance at a large particle jet angle was improved by a factor of 3 due to the significant improvement of the lamellar cohesion, although the erosion resistance at a small particle jet angle was not significantly influenced.     

Investigation of Deposition Behavior of Cold-Sprayed Magnesium Coating

Two types of magnesium powders with different particle size distributions were deposited by cold spraying at different main gas temperatures. The effects of gas temperature and particle size distribution on the deposition efficiency of particles were studied. The microstructure of coatings was observed, and the porosity of coatings was evaluated. The deposition efficiency of particles increased, and the porosity of coatings decreased with the increase of gas temperature. The deposition efficiency of particles increased when using the powder with a smaller particle size distribution. Stainless steel and aluminum plates were used as substrates. The bonding strength and mechanism between the coating and substrate were studied. The commercial finite element software ABAQUS was used to help us better understand the deformation behavior of particles and substrates. The mean bonding strength slightly increased when aluminum plates were used as substrates. The bonding mechanism of Mg coatings on stainless steel and aluminum substrates was discussed.     

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.     

Effects of Substrate Hardness and Spray Angle on the Deposition Behavior of Cold-Sprayed Ti Particles

In this study, finite element analysis combined with experimental observation was conducted to clarify the effects of substrate hardness and spray angle on the deposition behavior of cold-sprayed Ti particles. It is found that metallurgical bonding is highly possible to occur between the Ti particle and Cu substrate due to the intensive metal jet at the rim of the interface which helps to remove the cracked oxides. Because metallurgical bonding and large interfacial contact area can guarantee high adhesion strength, the thick Ti coating is achieved after deposition on the Cu substrate. As for the soft Al substrate, the first layer Ti particles are embedded in and then trapped by the soft substrate material, which results in the occurrence of mechanical interlock at the interface. As a consequence, the final coating thickness is also relatively large. When using hard stainless steel as the substrate, the essential conditions for forming the mechanical interlock are lacked due to the high hardness of the substrate material. In addition, the metal jet at rim of the interface is less prominent and also the interfacial contact area is smaller in comparison with the Ti-Cu case. Therefore, the particle-substrate bonding strength and the consequent coating thickness are relatively low. Besides, it is also found that the particle deformation and coating quality are significantly affected by the spray angle. The deformation of the particle localizes at only one side due to the additional tangential momentum. Also, such localized deformation becomes increasingly intensive with decreasing the spray angle. Moreover, the coating thickness is found to reduce with the decrease in spay angle, but the coating porosity shows a reverse trend.     

Preparation of metallic coatings on polymer matrix composites by cold spray

In the present work, an Al metallic coating and an Al/Cu bimetallic coating were prepared on the surface of a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composite (PMC) using a cold spray system with nitrogen as process and powder carrier gas. The microstructure, microhardness, and bond strength of the resultant coatings are analyzed. The bonding mechanism of the coatings, especially the deposition behavior of the Al particles on the PMC surface is discussed. Results had shown that cold spraying enables the deposition of the metallic and bimetallic coatings directly onto the PMC surface with precise process control and reasonable bonding of feedstock and substrate material. The surface metallization of PMC via cold spraying process presents promising application prospects.     

Focused ion beam micro-dissection of cold-sprayed particles

Three different modes of cold-spray impact were compared; aluminium particles onto a piezoelectric ceramic (PZT), aluminium particles onto copper, and deep penetration of copper particles into aluminium. Adhered particles were dissected using a dual-beam scanning electron microscope/focused ion beam (SEM/FIB) for morphological and microstructural examination. It was shown that the extent of substrate deformation substantially altered the behaviour displayed during bonding of the particles. In aluminium-on-ceramic impact, no permanent deformation of the substrate was seen. Shearing of layers of metal over the ceramic left a thin coating of debris on the surface. In contrast, aluminium particles caused plastic deformation and cratering of the copper. The critical velocity for aluminium particle deposition was lower on this substrate. Copper impact onto aluminium caused adiabatic shear of the substrate, with local temperatures reaching melting point. Copper particles embedded deeply into the aluminium surface without rebounding.     

On the Bonding Mechanism in Cold Spray of Deformable hex-BN-Ni Clusters

Bond strength and the lubrication potential of coatings made of 7 µm Hexagonal Boron Nitride particles encapsulated with nickel (hBN-Ni), and deposited onto aluminum 6061 substrates via cold spray were examined; for all tests, N₂ was used as the carrier gas at a temperature of 480 °C and pressure of 2.4 MPa. Results showed significant improvement in both wear resistance and reduced surface friction. Coated samples also demonstrated unexpected high bond strength, which was much greater than pure nickel cold sprayed onto aluminum. However, while the results were truly promising, the primary reason for the observed high bond strength could not be explained using existing cold spray theories which were primarily developed for pure metal particles. Based on the present findings compared to cold-sprayed layers of composite nickel-nickel (nickel particles encapsulated with nickel), a mechanism for bonding of hBN-Ni particles to aluminum based on the level of plastic deformation and hardenability is proposed. Indeed, the high bond strength between the coating and substrate is related to the relatively high initial ductility of the nickel encapsulation, compliance of the hBN, as well as the ensuing significant plastic deformation of the composite particles during cold spray deposition.     

Evidence of mechanical interlocking of NiCr particles thermally sprayed onto Al substrates

Ni-chrome alloy particles were thermally sprayed onto aluminum substrates using the high-velocity air fuel technique. The particle substrate interface was investigated with focused ion beam microscopy, cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy, and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. No evidence of melting or chemical bonding was found in the samples. Instead, evidence of mechanical bonding was found that had been predicted by a previous theoretical study by Grujicic et al. At locations where the particle and substrate are in intimate contact, the interface exhibited interlocking features. These features are caused by the effects of turbulence due to interfacial instability and mixing at the interface during the coating process, resulting in a strong particle-substrate bond. Conversely, separated interfaces exhibited smooth surfaces, suggesting insignificant bonding between the particle and the substrate. The discovery of these interfacial formations, together with no evidence of chemical bonding across the particle-substrate interface indicate that mechanical interlocking is the dominant bonding mechanism.