Experimental evaluation of interfacial adhesion strength of cold sprayed Ti-6Al-4V thick coatings using an adhesive-free test method

Cold spray (CS) is a rapidly growing solid-state additive material deposition technique often used for repair of high-value metallic components. This study aims at evaluating the interfacial adhesion strength of cold sprayed Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-64) coatings deposited onto Ti-64 substrates for repair applications. An adhesive-free test method, referred as modified Collar-Pin Pull-off Test was developed based on Sharivker's (1967) original design, in order to overcome the limitations of existing test approaches (both adhesive-based and adhesive-free). This method was designed to allow measurement of adhesion strength of high strength coatings such as CS Ti-64, where adhesion strength is higher than 70-90 MPa. A parametric study was performed to assess the effect of coating thickness, scanning speed, track spacing, toolpath pattern, and substrate surface preparation on the coating adhesion strength. A finite element model was also used to evaluate the stress distribution during the pull-off test, and to check the validity of the proposed test method. The proposed adhesive-free test method was found to be capable of measuring coatings with adhesion strengths beyond the upper limit of conventional adhesive-based methods such as ASTM C633. Among the investigated cases, the highest value of coating adhesion strength was measured around 122 MPa, in the case of CS Ti-64 deposited on ground Ti-64 substrates

Microstructural evolution in solution heat treatment of gas- atomised Al alloy (7075) powder for cold spray

Cold gas dynamic spray is being explored as a repair technique for high-value metallic components, given its potential to produce pore and oxide-free deposits of between several micrometers and several millimeters thick with good levels of adhesion and mechanical strength. However, feedstock powders for cold spray experience rapid solidification if manufactured by gas atomization and hence can exhibit non-equilibrium microstructures and localized segregation of alloying elements. Here, we used sealed quartz tube solution heat treatment of a precipitation hardenable 7075 aluminum alloy feedstock to yield a consistent and homogeneous powder phase composition and microstructure prior to cold spraying, aiming for a more controllable heat treatment response of the cold spray deposits. It was shown that the dendritic microstructure and solute segregation in the gas-atomized powders were altered, such that the heat-treated powder exhibits a homogeneous distribution of solute atoms. Micro-indentation testing revealed that the heat-treated powder exhibited a mean hardness decrease of nearly 25% compared to the as received powder. Deformation of the powder particles was enhanced by heat treatment, resulting in an improved coating with higher thickness (* 300 lm compared to * 40 um for untreated feedstock). Improved particle–substrate bonding was evidenced by formation of jets at the particle boundaries

Structure property relationship of suspension thermally sprayed WC-Co nanocomposite coatings.

Tribomechanical properties of nanostructured coatings deposited by suspension high velocity oxy-fuel (S-HVOF) and conventional HVOF (Jet Kote) spraying were evaluated. Nanostructured S-HVOF coatings were obtained via ball milling of the agglomerated and sintered WC-12Co feedstock powder, which were deposited via an aqueous-based suspension using modified HVOF (TopGun) process. Microstructural evaluations of these hardmetal coatings included transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The nanohardness and modulus of the coated specimens were investigated using a diamond Berkovich nanoindenter. Sliding wear tests were conducted using a ball-on-flat test rig. Results indicated that low porosity coatings with nanostructured features were obtained. High carbon loss was observed, but coatings showed a high hardness up to 1000 HV2.9N. S-HVOF coatings also showed improved sliding wear and friction behavior, which were attributed to nanosized particles reducing ball wear in three-body abrasion and support of metal matrix due to uniform distribution of nanoparticles in the coating microstructure