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.

Conventional processes of gas shielded metal arc welding (GMAW) do not offer directly the possibility for cladding heat sensitive materials such as aluminum with iron-based materials due to intermetallic Al/Fe phases form. This paper deals with the first evaluated cladding results of aluminum components with iron-based nanocrystalline solidifying materials by controlled shielded metal arc welding processes to improve wear resistance. In the present work, the design of experiments and data evaluations are systematically applied to get the first results about the dependence between controlled arc welding process parameters and the iron-based coatings of aluminum substrate. In particular, the effect of the chosen parameters such as wire feed speed, welding speed, frequency and further factors on the heat input, welding penetration, micro hardness, rate of welding penetration and width of intermetallic phases in the interface zone are investigated. Optical and scanning electron spectroscopy provide input for further statistical evaluation. The experiments were carried out using various controlled arc technologies which offer different control over the heat input to the substrates. Different power supplies were used.

Post-annealing of cold spray coatings has great potential for wear applications because it produces intermetallic compounds at low temperature far below equilibrium. This study investigates the effects of spraying pressure on the intermetallics formed and their dispersion characteristics. In the experiments, Al and Al-Ni powders were sprayed on Ni and Al substrates at 0.7, 1.5, and 2.5 MPa and a portion of the coating samples were annealed in argon at 500, 550, and 600 °C. Detailed examinations showed that Al particles are subject to peening effects that can interfere with the formation of intermetallic compounds during annealing, but that the effects can be mitigated by controlling gas pressure. Spraying pressure was also found to have an effect on the formation of eutectic pores in Al-Ni composite coatings, with higher pressures corresponding to fewer pores.

This paper presents a way of processing cold-sprayed Ti-Al to produce titanium aluminum nitride coatings. These coatings are meant to serve as a durable protective layer on tools exposed to molten aluminum alloys. A Ti-Al powder mixture with a weight ratio of 70/30 was cold sprayed onto specially prepared substrates using nitrogen as a process and powder delivery gas. The resulting coatings were alloyed at different temperatures to obtain a stabilized Ti-Al intermetallic phase for further nitriding treatment. The nitriding process was carried out in an ammonia-nitrogen atmosphere at 900 °C. The final product had a web-shaped microstructure with the same thickness as the cold-sprayed Ti-Al. Test samples were placed in molten aluminum for 1200 hours without notable chemical reaction.

Flame sprayed Al-12Si coatings were produced onto the surface of composite castings parts in order to enhance the adhesion of such castings. Due to the high surface roughness and the presence of pores in the coatings combined with the formation of an intermetallic phase at the interface, the adhesion of flame sprayed composite castings could be enhanced by a factor of 2 in comparison to blank castings and by a factor of 1.3 when compared to sand-blasted castings. However, results also show that gaps are mostly present at the interface between the Al profiles and the flame sprayed coatings and these gaps have a negative effect on the adhesion values of the composite casting parts. Therefore, an optimization of the adhesion of the coating on the Al profiles through an optimization of both the sand-blasting and the flame spraying parameters would be beneficial for further enhancement of the adhesion of composite casting parts.

The corrosion behavior of Al alloys, produced by cast and powder (Low Pressure Gas Dynamic Spray or Cold Spray) technologies, was examined in 3% sodium chloride solution from the viewpoint of localized corrosion. The susceptibility to localized corrosion is known to be strongly affected by intermetallic phases present in the alloy’s microstructure. The influence of individual cathodic and anodic intermetallic phases was investigated by using a microelectrochemical setup and by electrochemical methods. The optical and scanning electron microscopy data reveal that the cast and powdered alloys experience localized corrosion due to presence of the intermetallic phases which results in the micro-corrosion effects such as exfoliation corrosion, intergranular or crevice corrosion, and most severely pitting. Cast material has lower corrosion properties because of the higher heterogeneity of the structure as compared with powder sprayed composite.

Since many years, aluminum alloys are established as lightweight construction materials. To reach a partial wear protection for aluminum components in conjunction with seal faces, inlays, made of wear resistant materials, are commonly used. Problems concerning this approach are the necessary space and the endurance strength of the inlay - part joint. New process equipment offers the potential to control the energy input into the substrate and so the formation of brittle intermetallic phases in the aluminum-steel interface as well as the thermal stresses. The usage of new nano crystalline solidifying wear resistant iron-based feedstock materials with advantageous physical and mechanical properties enables further applications beside the wear protection of surfaces, for example as metallic heat insulation layer with a low heat conductivity, close to the values of ceramics.

The adhesion of copper on aluminum depends on the presence of intermetallic phases. Such phases can form during spraying at the interface between the layer and substrate. This paper deals with the formation mechanism of the intermetallic phases and their influence on adhesion. The type, size, and distribution of the intermetallic phases are investigated as a function of spray parameters and bonding strength is determined by laser shock adhesion testing. Paper includes a German-language abstract.