Segregating the convoluted effects of particle size, impact temperature and velocity on deposition behavior and adhesion is of utmost interest to the cold spray field. The current study aims to associate the particle impact behavior and adhesion to its in-flight characteristics by studying and decoupling the influence of particle size, temperature and velocity for single particle impacts and full coatings. Experimental results reveal that in-situ peening processes contribute to the adhesion at low impact temperature while particle velocity controls the adhesion/cohesion at increased particle impact temperatures. The benefits of both bonding mechanisms are discussed in terms of measured adhesion/cohesion, bend-to-break fracture surfaces, pseudoplasticity, deposition efficiency and critical velocity. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results provide individual particle trajectory, size, temperature and velocity, of successfully deposited particles, which have led to the observed signs of metallurgical bonding.

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has proposed the concept of a deep geological repository (DGR) for the storage of Canada’s used nuclear fuel. A major engineered component is the used fuel container (UFC) consisting of a steel core coated with copper for corrosion resistance. The copper coating is required to have sufficient ductility and adhesion strength to the steel substrate for loading requirements under DGR conditions. The NWMO has identified two coating technologies for the application process: electrodeposition and cold spray. Electrodeposition is utilized to coat the bulk of the UFC components (i.e., hemi-spherical head and lower assembly). A portion of the hemi-spherical head and the lower assembly openings remain uncoated in order to facilitate the final assembly closure weld process after fuel loading. This area is then cold sprayed with copper to complete the coating on the steel. Since the cold sprayed coating is highly strained in the as-sprayed state, it requires a heat treatment to impart ductility. The ductility is assessed indirectly by measuring the hardness of the material before and after the heat treatment. A recent advancement on this front includes the implementation of an optimized band heat treatment method to prototype UFC’s.

This study compares the dielectric properties of annealed forsterite (Mg 2 SiO 4 ) and alumina coatings deposited on mild steel substrates by atmospheric plasma spraying. As-sprayed coating samples were electrically characterized then submitted to a series of one-hour annealing treatments at temperatures from 300 to 800 °F. After each treatment, impedance measurements were recorded over a frequency range of 30 to 100 kHz. An electrical model was fitted to Nyquist data (Im Z vs. Re Z) using a least-mean-square algorithm with a weighting function. Although impedance spectroscopy measurements were obtained at different temperatures, this paper focuses on the acquisition, modeling, and comparison of room temperature properties, particularly electrical resistivity and dielectric constant. It also compares the microstructure of as-sprayed and annealed forsterite and alumina coatings and discusses coating degradation mechanisms stemming from differences in CTE.

This study assesses the potential of an amorphous-type steel for use as a thermal barrier coating (TBC) on aluminum surfaces. A high-alloy steel powder was deposited on aluminum 6061 substrates by plasma spraying. Coating samples were examined, then thermally cycled to failure. The coatings showed good microstructural stability up to 500 °C, but their spalling resistance was inferior to that of arc-sprayed stainless steel, probably due to lower initial bond strength.

Chromium carbide-based thermally sprayed coatings are widely used for high temperature wear applications. In these extreme environments at those temperatures, several phenomena will degrade, oxidize and change the microstructure of the coatings, thereby affecting their wear behaviour. Although it can be easily conceived that the Cr 3 C 2 -NiCr coating microstructure evolution after high temperature exposure will depend on the as-sprayed microstructure and spraying parameters, very little has been done in this regard. This study intends to develop a better understanding of the effect of spraying parameters on the resulting chromium carbide coating microstructure after high temperature operation and high temperature sliding wear properties. The microstructures of different coatings produced from two morphologies of Cr 3 C 2 -NiCr powders and under a window of in-flight particle temperature and velocity values were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Sliding wear at 800°C was performed and the wear behaviour correlated to the spraying parameters and coating microstructure. Vickers microhardness (300 gf) of the coatings before and after sliding wear was also measured.

In this study, the temperature distribution of the surfaces of several substrates under an impinging gas jet from a cold spray nozzle was determined. A low-pressure cold-gas dynamic spraying unit was used to generate a jet of hot compressed nitrogen that impinged upon flat substrates. Computer codes based on a finite differences method were used to solve a simplified 2-D temperature distribution equation for the substrate to produce non-dimensional relationships between the surface temperature and the radius of the impinging fluid jet, the substrate thickness, and the heating time. It was found that a single profile of the transient non-dimensional maximum surface temperature could be used to estimate the dimensional maximum surface temperature, regardless of the value of the compressed gas temperature. It was found further that as the thermal conductance of the substrate increased, the maximum surface temperature of the substrate beneath the gas jet decreased. The close agreement of the numerical results with the experimental results suggests that the non-dimensionalized results may be applied to a wide range of conditions and materials.

In this investigation, Inconel 718, a material known to cause nozzle clogging upon cold spraying, was cold spray formed to 6 mm-thick using the Plasma Giken cold spray system PCS- 1000. This was made possible due to the novel non-clogging nozzle material combined with a nozzle water cooling system. Coatings were as-spray formed using both nitrogen and helium as the propelling gasses. The resulting microstructures as well as the corresponding mechanical properties were studied. In addition, the effect of post-heat treatments was also investigated. It was found that for a given propelling gas used, the coating porosity level remained relatively similar (about 2.4% for nitrogen and 3.6% for helium) regardless of the coating treatment (as-sprayed or heat treated). Visual inspection from SEM micrographs showed a higher fraction of inter-particle metallurgical bonds for nitrogen gas sprayed coatings heat treated at 1250°C for 1 hour due to some sintering effect. This significantly affected its tensile properties with an average resulting ductility of 24.7%.

Evaluating and understanding the relationship between processing, microstructure and performance of a dielectric coating is essential for its practical usage and reliable application. In this study, the role of the powder feedstock on the properties of atmospheric plasma sprayed forsterite (Mg 2 SiO 4 ) dielectric coatings was investigated by using different forsterite powder cuts. The microstructural and porosity characteristics of the coatings associated with the spray conditions employed were assessed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image analysis. The phase composition of the coatings was studied via X-ray diffraction and their crystallinity index determined. The electrical insulating characteristics were investigated using the dielectric breakdown test. The obtained electrical properties were correlated with the microstructural characteristics. Ultimately, a performance comparison between forsterite and other dielectric coatings tested in similar conditions is presented.

This research systematically examines the effect of heat treatment on the microstructural properties of cold sprayed titanium coatings. Heat treatments were performed on as-sprayed coatings at 200, 400, 600, and 800°C for four hours under argon atmosphere. Vickers microhardness, microstructural investigation using FEG-SEM, structural characterization using XRD, and porosity evaluation using SEM image analysis were performed on as-sprayed and heat treated coatings. Results demonstrated that static recovery and static recrystallization may have occurred for heat treated coatings at 600 and 800°C. In addition, for the heat treated coating at 800°C, significant oxidation occurred and a slight decrease in porosity took place. Furthermore, a thin metallic layer characteristic of a solid solution or an intermetallic compound, was found at the coating/substrate interface.

This study reports on the effect of combined pulsed laser ablation and laser pre-heating surface pre-treatments to cold spraying Ti and Ti-6Al-4V on coatings’ microstructure, bond strength and cohesive strength. The Ti and Ti-6Al- 4V coatings were sprayed on pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V substrates, respectively. Coatings were characterized by SEM and porosity level was evaluated through image analysis. Bond strength was evaluated by standard ASTM C633 pull tests and by the laser shock (LASAT) technique. Cohesive strength was evaluated by the cross-section scratch test method. Results show that among the spray conditions used in this study, laser pre-treatment yielded high bond strength (such that all cases had higher cohesive strength than the epoxy glue). The LASAT technique provided a means to evaluate the influence of the laser ablation energy density and the laser pre-heating temperature. For both Ti and Ti-6Al-4V coatings, surface pre-heating increased the coating bond strength to the substrate. The laser ablation process would either increase or decrease the bond strength of the coating to the substrate depending on the laser energy density. The laser energy density needs to be adjusted as a function of the surface pre-heating temperature in order to optimize bond strength improvement. Coating cohesion did not improve with continuous laser pre-treatment in-between passes. However, the laser pre-heating helped reduce the coating porosity.

This paper reports on the influence of the He to N 2 ratio on the properties of low pressure cold sprayed titanium coatings and on the characteristics of the generated supersonic two-phase flow. Experiments were carried out varying the He to N 2 concentration ranging from pure He to pure N 2 . Samples were characterized by their microstructural properties (i.e. microhardness and porosity). Deposition rate was evaluated and particle velocities were measured for all conditions. Deposition efficiency, coating density, and microhardness were found to be a function of particle impact velocity. Velocity data were used to validate a computational fluid dynamic model. The numerical solution of the flow inside the nozzle was obtained from the Euler equations for the various He to N 2 concentrations. Particle tracking was carried out by using the computed distribution of density, Mach number, temperature, viscosity, and a second order Runge-Kutta scheme. In addition, mean particle velocities at the exit of the nozzle were determined. Computed velocities were found to be in good agreement with measured ones. The model was then used to calculate nozzle dimensions that would maximize particle velocity. Optimized dimensions are proposed.

The cold spray, for its peculiarity, is becoming increasingly in the reconstruction or repair of damage aluminium alloy components, especially in the aviation industry. Both thin (<0.5mm) and thick (up to centimeters) coatings are necessary in order to achieve dimensional recovery of the components. Contrary to thin, thick coatings can be deposited in single-pass or in multi-pass giving different thermal and stress contribution to the components and coatings itself. The thermal input, the amount and the type of residual stresses (compressive or tensile) confer appreciable or depreciable characteristics to the coatings adhesion, the crack propagation and the coating mechanical property. In this study two sets, single and multi-pass aluminium alloy coatings of different thickness are deposited into Al6061 substrate. The metallographic analysis by electronic and optical microscopes, the four-point bending test and the Vickers microhardness are performed; also the multi-pass coatings were characterized by fractographic analysis. Finally the different coating adhesions to substrate and cohesions are compared by standard ASTM C633 adhesion and cohesion tests.

Many processes and systems require hot surfaces. These are usually heated using electrical elements located in their vicinity. However, this solution is subject to intrinsic limitations associated with heating element geometry and physical location. Thermally spraying electrical elements directly on surfaces can overcome these limitations by tailoring the geometry of the heating element to the application. Moreover, the element heat transfer is maximized by eliminating the air gap between the heater and the surface to be heated. This paper is aimed at modeling and characterizing resistive heaters sprayed on metallic substrates. Heaters were fabricated using a plasma-sprayed alumina dielectric insulator and a wire flame sprayed iron-based alloy resistive element. Samples were energized and kept at a constant temperature of 425°C for up to four months. SEM cross-section observations revealed the formation of cracks at very specific locations in the alumina layer after thermal use. Finite element modeling shows that these cracks originate from high local thermal stresses and can be predicted according to the considered geometry. The simulation model was refined using experimental parameters obtained by several techniques such as: emissivity and time-dependent temperature profile (infra-red camera), resistivity (four probe technique), thermal diffusivity (laser flash method) and mechanical properties (micro and nanoindentation). The influence of the alumina thickness and the substrate material on crack formation was evaluated.

This study investigated the effect of the type of gas used, nitrogen and helium, during cold spraying of titanium coatings. In all conditions, the propelling gases’ temperature and pressure were attuned to attain three similar particle velocities for each gas. Coatings were characterized by SEM and XPS. Deposition efficiency, coating microhardness, and porosity were evaluated for all conditions. Results show that for the same particle impact velocity, the deposition efficiency and coating density were mostly the function of the surface temperature, which in turn was influenced by spray parameters. It is shown that loosely-bonded particles at the surface can be detached by the passage of high pressure supersonic gas stream. In addition, a thick and fully dense cold sprayed titanium coating was achieved with optimized spray parameters with He and the corresponding average particle velocity was measured at 1173 m/s.

In this work, the influence of the substrate temperature on the deposition efficiency and on the coating properties and residual stress was investigated. Pure Al coatings were deposited on Al 6061 alloy substrates using CGT Kinetics 3000 deposition system. The substrate temperature was ranged between 20°C (room temperature) and 375 °C and was kept nearly constant during the deposition while all the other deposition parameters were unchanged. The deposited coatings were quenched in water (within one minute from the deposition) and then characterized. The residual stress was determined by Almen gage method (Ref 1, 2, 3), Modified Layer Removal Method (Ref 4, 5, 6), and XRD (Ref 7) in order to identify both the mean coating stress and the stress profile through the coating thickness from the surface to the coating- substrate interface. The residual stress results obtained by these three methods were compared and discussed. The coating morphology and porosity were investigated using optical and scanning electron microscopy.

While the improvement in mechanical properties of nanocomposites makes them attractive materials for structural applications, their processing still present significant challenges. In this paper, cold spray was used to consolidate Al 2 O 3 /Al nanocomposite powders obtained from mechanical milling. The microstructure and nanohardness of the feedstock powders as well as of the resulting coatings were analysed. The results show that the large increase in hardness of the Al powder after mechanical milling is preserved after cold spraying. Good quality coating with low porosity is obtained from milled Al. However, the addition of Al 2 O 3 to the Al powder during milling decreases the powder nanohardness. This lower hardness is attributed to non-optimised milling parameters for proper Al 2 O 3 embedding and dispersion in Al and results in a lower coating hardness compared with the milled Al coating. The coating produced from the milled Al 2 O 3 /Al mixture also shows lower particle cohesion and higher amount of porosity. The overall results are promising and it is believed that an optimization of Al milling with Al 2 O 3 will allow production of sound coatings with improved hardness.

Cold gas dynamic spray (CGDS) utilizes a supersonic gas jet to accelerate fine solid powders above a critical velocity at which particles impact, deform plastically, and bond to the substrate material in the ambient environment. This process is potentially beneficial for thermal barrier coating (TBC) bond coat deposition because it would avoid oxidation of the feedstock powder that normally occurs when higher temperature thermal spray processes are employed. Therefore, there would be no prior aluminum depletion in as-deposited bond coats produced by the CGDS technique. This paper presents the oxidation behaviour of a TBC with CGDS-produced CoNiCrAlY bond coat, in comparison with TBCs with APS- and HVOF-CoNiCrAlY bond coats. Oxidation behaviors of these TBCs were evaluated in terms of microstructural evolution, kinetics of thermally-grown-oxides (TGO), as well as cracking behaviour during thermal exposure at 1050 °C.

The use of a liquid feedstock carrier in suspension plasma spray (SPS) permits injection of fine powders, providing the possibility of producing sprayed coatings that are both thin and dense and have fine microstructures. These characteristics make SPS an attractive process for depositing highly efficient electrodes and electrolytes for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. In the present study, NiO-yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) anode and YSZ electrolyte half cells were successfully deposited on porous Hastelloy X substrates by SPS. The NiO-YSZ anode deposition process was optimized by design of experiment. The YSZ electrolyte spray process was examined by changing one parameter at a time. The results from the design-of-experiment trials indicate that the porosity of the as-deposited coatings increased with an increase of suspension feed rate while it decreased with an increase of total plasma gas flow rate and standoff distance. The deposition efficiency increased with an increase of total plasma gas flow rate, suspension feed rate and standoff distance. The microstructure examination by SEM shows that the NiO and YSZ phases were homogeneously distributed and that the YSZ phase had a lamellar structure. It was observed that the density of the YSZ electrolyte layer increased as input power of the plasma torch increased.

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.