In this work, the bonding mechanism between Cu particle and substrates of Mg, Cu and stainless Steel (SS) was investigated by the direct observation of bonding interface on detached particle and substrate crater. In the cases of Cu/Cu and Cu/SS, dimple-like fractures were found on the detached Cu particle and substrate crater for the first time. Accompanying with EDS line scan and mapping results, such dimple fractures can be considered as the signs of strong metallurgical bonding. However, the bonding interface in case of Cu/Mg is smooth without signs of metallurgical bonding. Finite element analysis results revealed a ring of high contact pressure zone on the surface of particle and substrate, which is exactly the place where metallurgical bonding was observed. It can suggest that the high contact pressure zone is the dominant factor for the formation of metallurgical bonding on the oxide-free interface. The evolution of maximum contact pressure in different cases shows that the substrate hardness plays an important role during the single particle bonding. The present study provides a profound insight into the bonding mechanism of a single cold sprayed particle, which can give the guidance to the full deposition of cold sprayed coating.

A magnesium coating with a low porosity and high microhardness was elaborated using cold spraying. However at present, a poor bonding strength between the coating and substrate limits its application. This paper aims at improving the bonding strength between the coating and substrate using substrate preheating. Aluminum substrates were heated to 100, 200 and 300°C respectively by a flame prior to cold spraying. The results show that substrate preheating can significantly increase the bonding strength. The bonding strength increased from 3.3±0.8 MPa to 11.6±0.5 MPa when the substrate temperature increased from room-temperature to 200°C. The fracture analyses show that the coating fracture occurred within the coating when the substrate was preheated at 200°C.

Large pure aluminum powders were deposited on as cast-, T4- and T6-AZ91D magnesium substrates using cold spray. Heat treatment was applied to the coated components under vacuum at 400°C for different holding time. The effects of the heat treatment on the microstructure as well as the coating/substrate adhesion strength were investigated. Thick (~ 400µm) and dense (<1% porosity) Al coatings have been obtained on the three different substrates. During heat treatment, Mg 17 Al 12 (β) and Al 3 Mg 2 (γ) intermetallic phases were formed at the Al/Mg interface and the thickness of the intermetallics layers increased with the holding time. No significant thickness difference of the intermetallics layers were observed on as cast- and T6-AZ91D substrates, while thicker layers took place on the T4- substrate. It is believed that the higher Al concentration within the T4-AZ91D material could be beneficial for intermetallic growth because less enrichment is required to reach the critical level for intermetallic formation in the substrate. Shear strength tests were performed on the as sprayed and after heat treatment coatings. The results revealed lower adhesion strength in the samples after heat treatment than the as sprayed ones which is attributed to the presence of brittle intermetallics layers at the coating/substrate interface.

Magnesium coatings were deposited upon aluminum and stainless steel substrates by cold spraying. Three Mg powders with different particle size distributions were used as feedstock. The microstructures of as-sprayed coatings were evaluated by optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The coating observations show that a main gas temperature has an important effect on the deposition behaviour of particles. Changing the gas temperature from 350°C to 630°C involves an increase of the deposition efficiency from 1.57% to 19.57%. The effects of the particle size distribution and substrate material on the deposition efficiency of particles were also investigated. The results show that the particle size distribution has a significant effect on the deposition efficiency of particles which increases from 19.57% to 59% when the mean particle size decreases from 63 µm to 38 µm under gas temperature of 630°C. However, the deposition efficiency of particles was slightly influenced by the substrate material. In addition to these experimental results, the in-flight particle velocities were simulated by FLUENT software to point out the effects of the gas temperature and particle size distribution.

Thermal sprayed coatings are already used for the wear protection of cylinder bores since more than five years in the automotive industry, primarily in Europe. The adhesion of the coating on the different possible substrates is a key factor for the success of this operation. This paper gives an overview of the different potential processes used for the surface preparation prior to coating deposition. The influence of different substrate materials will be discussed also. Aluminum casting alloys, magnesium base materials, cast iron and also steel substrates will be considered in this paper. The safety and economical aspects of the different processes are considered also. Further, the paper will give an update of the state of the art of the thermal spraying of cylinder bores and the important aspect regarding the saving of energy resource.