Characterization of Laser-Assisted Cold-Sprayed (LACS) Metallic Coatings

In the cold spray process, solid particles impact with high kinetic energy, deform plastically and form a coating. This enables the formation of pure and dense coating structures. However, coating performance and deposition efficiency can be improved by assisting the process with a laser. Laser-assisted cold spraying (LACS) has shown its potential to improve coating properties compared with traditional cold spraying. In this study, coating quality improvement was gained by using a new co-axial laser spray (COLA) process which offers a new, cost-effective laser-assisted cold spray technique, for high-quality deposition and repair. In the process, the sprayed surface is laser heated while particles hit the surface. This assists the better bonding between particles and substrate and leads to the formation of tight coating structures. This study focuses on the evaluation of the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of LACS metallic coatings.