Abstract
For years, special attention has been paid to study and to develop innovative copper alloys and composites, with improved mechanical behaviour in respect to pure copper and preserving its excellent electrical and thermal properties. In this work different copper/alumina blends have been prepared and then deposited by cold spray at different gas carrier temperatures. The deposition efficiency and the content of embedded alumina have been determined by means of image analysis using SPIP software. Optimized deposition temperature results 450°C: the coatings exhibit compact, pore-free microstructure and very low oxidation. Microhardness and friction coefficient have been evaluated of both pure copper and composite coatings. An increase of microhardness from 65HV0.015 to 150HV0.5 has been observed while a progressive reduction of friction coefficient as a function of alumina content has been reported. Further characterizations to determine thermal and electrical properties of copper/alumina composites are in progress.
