This paper describes and evaluates the performance of a Helium Recovery System (HRS) designed for cold spraying. A flexible, automated, full scale HRS system has been designed and installed in the McGill Aerospace Materials & Alloy Development Center Cold Spray Facility, located at and in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada. The fully automated HRS has been designed to recover helium from the cold spray chamber with sufficient purity (>99%) and flow capacity (5 to 220 Nm 3 /h), allowing for a cost-effective operation by insuring a recovery rate of above 85%. In addition, a comparison of titanium coating properties obtained by using both He and N 2 as propellant gas is presented.

Steel reinforcement corrosion is one of the most serious causes of the premature deterioration of North American bridges and parking garages. Carbon steel rebars are very vulnerable to corrosion in salt contaminated concrete from deicing or coastal environment since the chloride ions induce severe corrosion as they reach the reinforcing steel rebars and depassivate the carbon steel. This paper evaluates the potential of using stainless steel coatings as a means to protect steel rebars from corrosion, especially in a salt contaminated concrete environment. The 316 L stainless steel coated coupons and rebars were prepared using Arc-sprayed and HP/HVOF processes. The corrosion performance of coatings were evaluated using linear polarization, a.c. impedance and salt spray techniques. Metallographic examination was also performed to characterize the coating microstructure.