B. Jodoin

Cold spray nozzle mach number limitation

The classic one-dimensional isentropic flow approach is used along with a two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical model to show that the exit Mach number of a cold spray nozzle should be limited due to two factors. To show this, the two-dimensional model is validated with experimental data. Although both models show that the stagnation temperature is an important limiting factor, the one-dimensional approach fails to show how important the shock-particle interactions are at limiting the nozzle Mach number. It is concluded that for an air nozzle spraying solid powder particles, the nozzle Mach number should be set between 1.5 and 3 to limit the negative effects of the high stagnation temperature and of the shock-particle interactions.

Cold gas dynamic spraying of iron-base amorphous alloy

This paper describes recent efforts to synthesize iron-base amorphous alloys coatings using cold gas dynamic spraying. Characterization of the gas-atomized iron-base (Fe-Cr-Mo-W-C-Mn-Si-Zr-B) powder shows that the powder is fully amorphous when the particle diameter is below 20 µm. The coatings produced were composed of the same microstructure as the one observed in the feedstock powder. The overall deformation suggests the occurrence of a localized deformation process at the particle/particle boundary and a possible adiabatic deformation softening inside the powder particles during splat formation. The synthesis of fully amorphous, porous-free coatings using cold gas dynamic spraying was demonstrated in this work.

Substrate roughness and thickness effects on cold spray nanocrystalline Al−Mg coatings

Nanocrystalline Al−Mg coatings were produced using the cold gas dynamic-spraying technique. Unsieved Al−Mg powder of average nanocrystalline grain size in the range of 10 to 30 nm and with a particle size distribution from 10 to >100 μm was used as the feedstock powder. The resulting coatings were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy, as well as microhardness and nanoindentation measurements. Coating observations suggest that the wide particle size distribution of the feedstock powder has a detrimental effect on the coating quality but that it can be successfully mitigated by optimizing the spraying parameters. Nanohardness values close to 3.6 GPa were observed in both the feedstock powder and coatings, suggesting the absence of cold-working hardening effects during the process. The effects of the substrate surface roughness and thickness on coating quality were investigated. The deposited mass measurements performed on the coatings showed that the effect of using different grit sizes for the substrate preparation is limited to small changes in the deposition efficiency of only the first few layers of deposited material. The SEM observation showed that the substrate surface roughness has no significant effect on the macrostructures and microstructures of the coating. The ability to use the cold gas dynamic spraying process to produce coatings on thin parts without noticeable substrate damage and with the same quality as coatings produced on thicker substrates was demonstrated in this work.

Cold-Spray processing of a nanocrystalline Al−Cu−Mg−Fe−Ni alloy with Sc

This work describes recent progress in cold-spray processing of conventional and nanocrystalline 2618 (Al−Cu−Mg−Fe−Ni) aluminum alloy containing scandium (Sc). As-atomized and cryomilled 2618+Sc aluminum powder were sprayed onto aluminum substrates. The mechanical behavior of the powders and the coatings were studied using micro-and nanoindentation techniques, and the microstructure was analyzed using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). The influence of powder microstructure, morphology, and behavior during deposition on the coating properties was analyzed. This work shows that Al−Cu−Mg−Fe−Ni−Sc coatings with a nanocrystalline grain structure can be successfully produced by the cold-spray process. Inspection of the scientific literature suggests that this is the first time a hardness value of 181 HV has been reported for this specific alloy.

Net Shape Fins for Compact Heat Exchanger Produced by Cold Spray

This work explores the manufacturability of pyramidal fin arrays produced using the cold spray process. Near-net shaped pyramidal fin arrays of various sizes and fin densities were manufactured using masks made of commercially available steel wire mesh. The feedstock powders used to produce the fins are characterized using scanning electron microscopy. Obstruction of the masks was investigated. The standoff distances between the substrate, mesh, and nozzle were empirically determined. Fin array characterization was performed using digital microscopy. The fin arrays’ heat transfer performance was assessed experimentally for a range of Reynolds number relevant to the application sought. The fins produced using the cold spray process outperform traditional straight (rectangular) fins at the same fin density and it is hypothesized that this is due to increased fluid mixing and turbulence.

Particle loading effect in cold spray

Cold gas dynamic spray is a line-of-sight, high-rate material deposition process that uses a supersonic flow to accelerate small particles (micron-sized) above a material-dependent critical velocity. When the particles impact the substrate, they plastically deform and bond to form a coating. The objective of this research is to investigate the influence of the particle mass flow rate on the properties of coatings sprayed using the cold spray process. Varying the mass flow rate at which the feedstock particles are fed into the carrier gas stream can change the thickness of the coating. It was shown that poor coating quality (peeling) was not a result of flow saturation but, instead, the result of excessive particle bombardment per unit area on the substrate. By increasing the travel speed of the substrate, this can be overcome and well-bonded dense coatings can be achieved. It has also been shown that by heating the carrier gas flow poor coating quality is avoided.

Cold Spraying of Armstrong Process Titanium Powder for Additive Manufacturing

Titanium parts are ideally suited for aerospace applications due to their unique combination of high specific strength and excellent corrosion resistance. However, titanium as bulk material is expensive and challenging/costly to machine. Production of complex titanium parts through additive manufacturing looks promising, but there are still many barriers to overcome before reaching mainstream commercialization. The cold gas dynamic spraying process offers the potential for additive manufacturing of large titanium parts due to its reduced reactive environment, its simplicity to operate, and the high deposition rates it offers. A few challenges are to be addressed before the additive manufacturing potential of titanium by cold gas dynamic spraying can be reached. In particular, it is known that titanium is easy to deposit by cold gas dynamic spraying, but the deposits produced are usually porous when nitrogen is used as the carrier gas. In this work, a method to manufacture low-porosity titanium components at high deposition efficiencies is revealed. The components are produced by combining low-pressure cold spray using nitrogen as the carrier gas with low-cost titanium powder produced using the Armstrong process. The microstructure and mechanical properties of additive manufactured titanium components are investigated.

Mechanical Properties of Cold Gas Dynamic-Sprayed Near-Net-Shaped Fin Arrays

This work focuses on the study of the adhesion and thermal performance of near-net-shaped pyramidal fin arrays manufactured by cold spray on aluminum alloy substrate coated with various bond coats: a cold-sprayed bond coat as well as nitrogen- and air-propelled arc-sprayed bond coats. Furthermore, the effects of the fin density, fin height, and substrate surface roughness on the adhesion strength of the fins deposited on Al6061 substrates were characterized. It was found that the fin density, the fin height, and the substrate roughness have little impact on the adhesion strength of this system. The adhesion strength was found to be inversely proportional to the surface hardness when investigating these parameters for the different thermal-spray bond coatings, with all the fin systems having a much greater strength than the theoretical application stresses. Finally, it was found that the increase in the fin’s base layer’s roughness increases the overall heat transfer, with the bond coat material having a negligible effect on the thermal resistance for this type of heat-exchanger configuration.

Aircraft Skin Restoration and Evaluation

The recent development of the cold spray technology has made possible the deposition of low porosity and oxide-free coatings with good adhesion and with almost no change in the microstructure of the coated parts. This focuses on the use of low-pressure cold spray process to repair damaged Al-based aircraft skin, aiming at obtaining dense coatings with strong adhesion to the Al2024-T3 alloy. In order to prove the feasibility of using of the cold spray process as a repair process for aircraft skin, series of characterisation/tests including microstructures, microhardness, adhesion strength, three-point bending, surface finish, fatigue test, and corrosion resistance were performed. The obtained results revealed that the low-pressure cold spray process is a suitable for the repair of aircraft skin.

Finite Element Analysis and Failure Mode Characterization of Pyramidal Fin Arrays Produced by Masked Cold Gas Dynamic Spray

This work evaluates the shear strength of pyramidal fin arrays made from various feedstock materials (cylindrical aluminum, spherical nickel, and cylindrical stainless steel 304 powders) deposited on an Al6061-T6 substrate. Higher shear strength was measured for the nickel fin array followed by the stainless steel 304 and the aluminum arrays. Different failure modes were observed by inspecting the fracture surfaces under Scanning Electron Microscope. Deposition between the cold sprayed nickel and stainless fins was detected whereas dimples were noticed on the substrate between the fins when aluminum is used as the feedstock material. A numerical simulation of normal and angled impacts using the high strain rate Preston-Tonks-Wallace model was carried out in order to have a better understanding of the experimental results. The equivalent plastic strain (PEEQ) obtained from the finite element analysis at normal impact correlates with the different shear strengths measured experimentally. Furthermore, even if a higher PEEQ was observed for angled impacts compared to its normal collision counterpart, it is suggested that the particles may not bond because of the rotational restitution momentum caused by the tangential friction generated during angled impacts. This rotational restitution momentum was not detected for particle impacts normal to the substrate surface.