Numerical modeling and simulation of polymer metallization by cold spray process

Metallization of polymeric materials using cold spray technology is gaining attention and several experimental studies have reported different strategies to address the challenges of this process in the past decade. Nevertheless, the efforts to use modeling and simulation tools have been less successful. The current study aims at developing a numerical finite element model for the cold spray process of metal particles on the polymeric substrates to shed light on the underlying deposition mechanisms and the effects of process parameters through various particle temperatures and velocities. The model consists of a single spherical copper particle impacting a polyether ether ketone (PEEK) substrate with a prescribed temperature and velocity. The simulation results are compared with the literature experiments to establish the effectiveness of the proposed model. Deposition mechanism in terms of particle mechanical embedment and polymer superficial melting is investigated and discussed.