Mechanical Characteristics of Al-Co-Ce Coatings Produced by the Cold Spray Process

Gas atomized feedstock particles of an Al-13Co-26Ce alloy system were sprayed using the Cold Spray deposition technique. The microstructures of the coatings produced are examined and the mechanical characteristics, in particular the bending fatigue and the bond strength, of the Al-Co-Ce coatings are reported. The results show that the Al-Co-Ce coatings improved the fatigue behavior of AA 2024-T3 specimens when compared to uncoated and Alclad specimens. During the bond strength tests, the bonding agent failed and no delamination of the coating from the substrate occurred. The microstructural features of the feedstock powder were also found in the coatings. It is suggested that the increase in the fatigue properties of the specimens can be attributed to the residual compressive stresses induced in the coatings and to the high adhesion strength of the coatings to the substrates. 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.     

镁合金表面冷喷涂快凝Zn-Al合金粉末的研究

对镁合金表面冷喷涂快凝Zn-Al合金粉末工艺进行了研究，观察了涂层微观组织，并分析了涂层与基体之间的结合，测定了涂层的硬度和涂层与基体的结合强度。结果表明，采用冷喷涂技术制备的快凝Zn—Al合金粉末涂层组织致密，基体与涂层的结合处只产生塑性变形并且无熔化现象，涂层硬度比基体硬度显著提高。     

Cold Spray Al-5% Mg Coatings for the Corrosion Protection of Magnesium Alloys

Poor corrosion resistance is a significant limitation of magnesium alloys as structural materials. To address this problem, the objective of this study was to apply to a magnesium alloy a corrosion-resistant barrier coating that has galvanic compatibility with magnesium and a hardness value no less than that of magnesium. Aluminum coatings were applied to ZE41A-T5 Mg by the cold spray process. A custom-made high-purity Al-5 wt.% Mg powder was produced by spray metal forming for the coating evaluation. In addition, coatings of commercially pure Al (99.5 wt.%), high-purity Al (99.95 wt.%), AA5356, and AA4047 were used for comparison. Coating evaluation included mechanical testing (hardness and adhesion strength) and corrosion testing (salt spray, galvanic coupling, and crevice corrosion). The Al-5% Mg powder resulted in the best overall performance, including a high hardness, 125 H_v100, and an adhesion strength, over 60 MPa, when treated for over 1000 h in a salt spray chamber and with a low galvanic current.     

Microstructure Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Al-12Si Coatings on AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Produced by Cold Spray Technique

The cold spray technique was to deposit Al-12Si coatings on AZ31 magnesium alloy. The influence of gas pressure and gas temperature on the microstructure of coatings was investigated so as to optimize the process parameters. OM, SEM, and XRD were used to characterize the as-sprayed coatings. Mechanical properties including Vickers microhardness and adhesion strength were measured in order to evaluate coating quality. Test results indicate that the Al-12Si coatings possess the same crystal structure with powders, sufficient thickness, low porosity, high hardness, and excellent adhesion strength under optimal cold spray process parameters.     

Photocatalytic Activity of Nanostructured Anatase Coatings Obtained by Cold Gas Spray

This article describes a photocatalytic nanostructured anatase coating deposited by cold gas spray (CGS) supported on titanium sub-oxide (TiO_2?x ) coatings obtained by atmospheric plasma spray (APS) onto stainless steel cylinders. The photocatalytic coating was homogeneous and preserved the composition and nanostructure of the starting powder. The inner titanium sub-oxide coating favored the deposition of anatase particles in the solid state. Agglomerated nano-TiO₂ particles fragmented when impacting onto the hard surface of the APS TiO_2?x bond coat. The rough surface provided by APS provided an ideal scenario for entrapping the nanostructured particles, which may be adhered onto the bond coat due to chemical bonding; a possible bonding mechanism is described. Photocatalytic experiments showed that CGS nano-TiO₂ coating was active for photodegrading phenol and formic acid under aqueous conditions. The results were similar to the performance obtained by competitor technologies and materials such as dip-coating P25^® photocatalysts. Disparity in the final performance of the photoactive materials may have been caused by differences in grain size and the crystalline composition of titanium dioxide.     

Influence of Feedstock Materials and Spray Parameters on Thermal Conductivity of Wire-Arc-Sprayed Coatings

To manufacture a protective coating with high thermal conductivity on drying cylinders in paper production machines, a FeCrB-cored wire was developed, and the spraying parameters for wire-arc spraying were optimized in this study. The conventional engineering materials FeCrAl and FeCrMo coatings were produced as the reference coatings under the same experimental condition. It has been shown that the oxide content in coating influences the thermal conductivity of coating significantly. The FeCrB coating exhibits a relative higher thermal conductivity due to the lower oxide content in comparison with conventional FeCrAl and FeCrMo coatings. Moreover, the oxidation of in-flight particles can be reduced by decreasing the standoff distance contributing to the increase in the thermal conductivity of coating. Total energy consumption of a papermaking machine can be significantly reduced if the coatings applied to dryer section exhibit high thermal conductivity. Therefore, the FeCrB coating developed in this study is a highly promising coating system for drying cylinders regarding the improved thermal conductivity and low operation costs in paper production industry.     

Preparation of Aluminum Coatings Containing Homogenous Nanocrystalline Microstructures Using the Cold Spray Process

Nanostructured materials are of widespread interest because of the unique properties they offer. Well-proven techniques, such as ball milling, exist for preparing powders with nanocrystalline microstructures. Nevertheless, consolidation of nanocrystalline powders is challenging and presents an obstacle to the use of nanocrystalline metals. This work demonstrates that nanocrystalline aluminum powders can be consolidated using the cold spray process. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the nanocrystalline cold spray coatings reveals that the cold spray process can cause significant grain refinement. Inert gas atomized 6061 and 5083 aluminum powders were ball milled in liquid nitrogen resulting in micron-sized powder containing 250-400 nm grains. Cold spray coatings prepared using these feed stock materials exhibited homogenous microstructures with grain sizes of 30-50 nm. TEM images of the as-received powders, ball-milled powders, and cold spray coatings are shown.     

快速凝固Al-2.5Ti-2.5Fe合金显微组织及热稳定性的研究

采用单辊旋铸技术制备Al-2.5Ti-2.5Fe合金薄带，利用DSC分析、X射线衍射和透射电镜来分析该合金的急冷态和退火态组织，测定了合金在 同温度下退火10h后的显微硬度。结果表明，快速凝固Al-2.5Ti-2.5Fe合金稳冷态组织中存在两种初生相：Al3Ti相和Al5Ti2相；而经300℃退火10h后，将发生亚稳相Al5Ti向稳定相Al3Ti 的转变；经400℃退火10h后，组织中出现了平衡稳定相Al13Fe4，且在热处理过程中弥散析出Al3Ti相。     

Effect of Using Liquid Feedstock in a High Pressure Cold Spray Nozzle

This study investigates the effect of water injection in the high pressure chamber of a cold spray nozzle. A De Laval nozzle geometry with constant back pressure and temperature is modeled numerically using Reynolds Stress Model coupled equations. Water spray with a droplet size of 10-100 ??m is modeled using both uniform and Rosin-Rammler size distributions. The two-phase flow of gas-liquid is modeled using an unsteady discrete phase mass source with two-way coupling with the main gas flow. Upon injection, the droplets in the water spray evaporate while travelling through the nozzle due to momentum and energy exchange with the gas flow. The evaporation behavior in the presence of water content is modeled and a correlation between the initial diameter and the diameter just before the throat is obtained. As a result, the proper droplet size distribution with a fully evaporative spray can be used as a carrier of nano-particles in cold spray nozzles. Having the results, guides us to substitute the un-evaporated part of the droplet with an equal diameter agglomerate of nano-particles and find a minimum fraction of nano-particles suspended in the liquid which guarantees fully evaporative liquid spray injection.     

快速凝固Al-5Zn-2.5Mg-2.5Mn合金的显微组织演化

利用DSC、X射线衍射 (XRD)、透射电镜 (TEM)和能谱分析研究了快速凝固Al 5Zn 2 5Mg 2 5Mn(质量分数 )合金急冷态和退火态的显微组织 ,同时测定了该合金的硬度。DSC曲线有四个放热峰 ,位于 90～ 110℃、2 6 0℃、4 6 0℃和 4 80℃ ,它们分别对应于 η相 (MgZn2 )、T相 (Al2 Mg3Zn3)、Al3Mn相和Al6 Mn相的析出或转变 ,分析结果与XRD和TEM分析一致。研究还表明 :快凝合金急冷态组织为过饱和Al基固溶体 ,无其它相存在 ;快凝合金经 30 0℃× 1h处理后 ,出现 η和T相 ,此时无Al Mn相出现 ;快凝合金经 5 0 0℃× 1h处理后 ,出现了Al Mn弥散相 ,而 η和T相溶入固溶体 ,Al的点阵常数和合金硬度变化验证了上述显微组织的演化过程。随着Al Mn相的析出或转变 ,合金硬度显著提高     

用冷喷涂法制备PTC陶瓷的Al电极

研究了冷气动力喷涂方法(CGDS)制备PTC陶瓷欧姆接触Al电极的喷涂工艺,用扫描电子显微镜分析了电极的显微结构.结果表明,该方法制备的PTC陶瓷欧姆接触Al电极性能较优.     

Numerical Studies of the Application of Shock Tube Technology for Cold Gas Dynamic Spray Process

A new method for a combustion-free spraying is studied fundamentally by modeling and simulation in comparison with first experiments. The article focuses on the numerical simulation of the gas-particle nozzle flow, which is generated by the shock reflection at the end wall section of a shock tube. To study the physical fundamentals of this process, at present only a single shot operation is considered. The particles are injected downstream of the nozzle throat into a supersonic nozzle flow. The measurements of the particle velocity made by a laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) set up show that the maximum velocity amounts to 1220 m/s for stainless steel particles of 15 μm diameter. The CFD-Code (Fluent) is first verified by a comparison with available numerical and experimental data for gas and gas-particle flow fields in a long Laval-nozzle. The good agreement implied the great potential of the new dynamic process concept for cold-gas coating applications. Then the flow fields in the short Laval nozzle designed and realized by the Shock Wave Laboratory (SWL) are investigated. The gas flow for experimentally obtained stagnation conditions is simulated. The gas-particle flow without and with the influence of the particles on the gas flow is calculated by the Surface Engineering Institute (IOT) and compared with experiments. The influence of the injection parameters on the particle velocities is investigated, as well. 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.     

快速凝固Al-20Si-5Fe合金的退火组织变化

利用XRD、DSC以及TEM方法研究了快速凝固Al 2 0Si 5Fe合金退火态的微观组织、弥散相结构和相转变。结果表明 ,快凝Al 2 0Si 5Fe合金组织中存在两种弥散相 ,δ Al4 FeSi2 和初生Si相。退火温度低于 310℃时 ,δ Al4 FeSi2 相未明显粗化 ;当退火温度高于 310℃时 ,亚稳相δ Al4 FeSi2转变成稳定相β Al5FeSi,β Al5FeSi相随退火温度的提高而明显粗化。高温退火使初生Si相发生一定的重溶和粗化 ,但粗化速率显著低于β Al5FeSi相 ,原因在于合金中Fe元素抑制了Si相的粗化     

快速凝固Al-5Ti-B和Al-10Ti对铝及铝合金的细化效果研究

利用扫描电镜、光学显微镜分析了快速凝固和普通凝固Al-5Ti-B和Al-10Ti中间合金对纯Al和Al-7Si合金的晶粒细化效果.结果表明:快速凝固Al-Ti中间合金在细化纯Al和Al-7Si合金晶粒组织时比普通中间合金的效果更好,主要是因为快速凝固中间合金中具有大量细小弥散的块状Al3Ti相颗粒.这些Al3Ti弥散颗粒可以作为α-Al的形核核心、增强TiB2粒子的形核能力,从而增强快速凝固中间合金的细化能力.     

Gas Dynamic Principles and Experimental Investigations of Shock Tunnel Produced Coatings

For enhancing coating quality, the shock tunnel technology is employed to increase impact velocities of particles up to 1,500 m/s for 10-μm solid particles. Based on a parametric study, an experimental facility has been set up at the Shock Wave Laboratory (SWL) of RWTH Aachen University. A calibration of the nozzle flow has been carried out using a Pitot rake. The conditions in the reservoir achieved so far are p ₀ = 140 bar and T ₀ = 1,800 K. A high-speed schlieren system is set up for flow visualization and also for velocity measurement of visible particles. For fine particles, both LDA and PIV methods are used for particle velocity measurements. The results achieved are in good agreement with a quasi-1D prediction. The quality of a first coating sample of copper on a steel substrate is analyzed which shows a promising improvement. Systematic experiments have to be carried out with different material combinations of coating and substrate, different particle velocities, and temperatures for further evaluation of this technique.     

3D Morphology and Formation Process of the Icosahedral Quasicrystalline Phase in Rapidly Solidified Al-Mn Alloy

Three-dimensional morphology and formation process of icosahedral quasicrystal phase have been investigated in a melt-spun Al-18 Mn alloy(in wt%).Three distinct layers corresponding to varying temperature gradient have been observed on the cross section of the ribbons.3D morphologies of cellular and dendritic icosahedral phase have been obtained through electro-etching.A model has been proposed to describe the formation process of the icosahedral phase and α-Al during the rapid solidification.The icosahedral phases are primarily precipitated from the melt into fine cellular and dendritic particles,and subsequently engulfed by the α-Al which propagates in a planar morphology.     

5GPa超高压凝固Al-1Ni-3Y合金的凝固组织及相分析

利用X射线衍射分析方法分析了高压下凝固的Al-Ni-Y合金的相组成;利用光学显微镜对在不同条件下制备的高压凝固合金的显微组织形貌和共晶组织形貌进行研究;通过显微硬度测试方法,确定出冷却速度与显微硬度之间的关系。实验结果表明,高压条件下凝固的合金共晶点发生偏移,使得常压共晶成分的合金在高压下变成亚共晶成分合金。在5 GPa超高压力、不同冷速(50、100、200 K/min)条件下凝固的合金的显微组织形貌发生了很大的改变,但是合金的相组成没有发生变化。随着冷却速率的不断提高,合金组织逐渐细化,二次枝晶间距也随之减小,共晶团尺寸也更加细小,显微硬度提高,Al3Y相的各向异性逐渐减弱。     

Development of WC-Co Coatings Deposited by Warm Spray Process

The high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) process is commonly used to deposit WC-Co coatings. There are some problems with this process; especially the decomposition and decarburization of WC during spraying make a coating brittle. To suppress such degradation, the warm spray (WS) process was applied to deposit WC-Co coatings, which is capable of controlling the flame temperature in the range of 500-2000 °C. The microstructure and phases of the deposited coatings were characterized by using SEM and XRD, and the mechanical properties such as hardness, fracture toughness, and wear properties were also investigated. WS process successfully suppressed the formation of the detrimental phases such as W₂C and W, which are usually observed in HVOF coatings. The WS coatings showed the similar trend of the hardness variation for Co content with a sintered bulk material. Improvement of toughness and wear behavior was also observed in WS coatings.