Cold Spray of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer for Lightning Strike Protection Available to Purchase

The aim of this work is to cold spray a metal coating with sound mechanical properties and good electrical and thermal conductivity on carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) substrates. Copper, aluminum, and tin were used as the coating materials and different gas pressure and preheating temperature combinations were employed during spraying. Erosion was found to be the key obstacle to develop continuous coatings, although embedded particles were observed in the residual epoxy.