Post-heat Treatment Effects on Cold-Sprayed Aluminum Coatings on AZ91D Magnesium Substrates

Commercially pure aluminum (CP-Al) powder was deposited by the cold spray process onto AZ91D magnesium (Mg) substrates that had been subjected to three different heat-treatment conditions: namely, as-cast (F), homogenized (T4), and artificially aged (T6). The substrate hardness was measured to be 80.7?±?1.8, 73.7?±?4.0, and 103.6?±?7.4 HV_0.025 for the F-, T4-, and T6-Mg alloy substrates respectively. Thick (~400???m) and dense (below 1% porosity) Al coatings have been obtained. After post-deposition heat treatment at 400?°C, the intermetallic Mg₁₇Al₁₂ (??) and Al₃Mg₂ (??) phases with different thicknesses were found to have formed at the coating/substrate interface depending on the holding time. While no significant thickness differences of the intermetallic layers were detected in the cases of F- and T6-AZ91D substrates, thicker layers formed on the T4-AZ91D substrate. It is believed that the higher Al concentration in the T4-AZ91D solid solution within the ??-Mg could diffuse and contribute more easily to the growth of the intermetallic phases. The hardness of the ??- and ??-phase was measured to be 260.5?±?10.7 HV_0.025 and 279.6?±?13.7 HV_0.025, respectively. Shear strength test results revealed lower adhesion strength after heat treatment, which is attributed to the presence of brittle intermetallic layers at the coating/substrate interface.