Cold spray process for the production of AlSi10Mg coatings on glass fibers reinforced polymers

ABSTRACT

Cold spray deposition of aluminum powders on polyethylene reinforced with glass fibers has been studied. Different processing conditions, including different stratifications of the fiber-reinforced polymer used as a substrate, have been investigated to better understand the deposition mechanism. The experimental campaign has been conceived and tailored to highlight the influence of several process parameters on the deposition of the first layer of particles. The results obtained allowed to highlight and clarify the influence of standoff distance and gas pressure and also gave some insights concerning the effect of the substrate stratification. Guidelines regarding the design of the manufacturing process have been also released.

Graphical abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Cold-Spray
• FRPs
• polymers
• composites
• fibers
• aluminum
• powder
• process
• parameters
• coating
• buildup

Acknowledgments

The authors want to acknowledge Dr. Luca Boccarusso and Mr. Andrea Barone for helping in the manufacturing of the composite panels to be used as substrates for the deposition.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Italian Ministry for Research and University (MIUR) [grant number COSMEC] in the framework of PRIN 2017.