Abstract
This study assesses the feasibility of cold spraying metal onto wood for commercial applications. It was found that particle adhesion and coating build-up differ significantly from the standard case of spraying metal on metal. Phenomena such as fiber rupture and buckling, pore filling, and particle anchoring required a new approach for process development and verification. First, a microscale analysis of the unique features of wood was necessary to define the deposition surface. Next, a wide range of cold spray tests were conducted to obtain metal coatings on four species of wood. To better understand the dependency of deposition efficiency on particle state conditions, a CFD models and FEA simulations were used to investigate single and multi-particle impacts on local wood structures as observed in SEM and microtomography images. A conventional pull-off test was used to collect adhesion strength data and a numerical counterpart of the test has been developed, making it possible to compare macroscopic adhesion behavior of real and virtual interfaces.
