Use of Cold Spray for Repair of Castings

Cold Spray is an emerging advanced manufacturing process for the coating and repair of a variety of materials. Unlike thermal spray, cold spray particles are deposited at temperatures below the melting point of the material which minimizes the undesirable side reactions and phase transformations typically associated with thermal spray. Because of this, cold spray is an excellent candidate technology for repairing castings that are made from heat sensitive alloys. This paper will discuss the development of a cold spray repair process for aluminum alloys. Through the use of this process it is possible to reclaim defective newly cast parts or repair corroded or otherwise damaged castings. Research results about microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion properties of the cold spray coating will be covered. Finally, a comparison will be done between the properties of the cold spray coating and the substrate.