Experimental and numerical study of deposition mechanisms for cold spray additive manufacturing process

Abstract Cold spray is an attractive and rapidly developing process for additive manufacturing with high efficiency and precision, repairing and coating, especially in aircraft and aerospace applications. Cold spray additive manufacturing deposits micro-particles with large plastic deformation below their melting point, eliminating heat effect zone which could deteriorate the quality of repairing zone. The particle deposition in cold spray is a complex process which involves high strain rate, high contact pressure and high temperature. Here we develop, utilize and validate a thermo-mechanical model to provide a definitive way to predict deposition mechanics and surface deformation evolution for particle deposition process in cold spray additive manufacturing. Both a single particle and dual particles models were developed to investigate the contact interaction between particle/substrate and particle/particle. Different combinations of particle/substrate materials (Cu/Cu, Al/Al, steel/steel, and nickel/nickel) and process parameters were considered in this study. The experimental study was conducted to validate simulation results, providing useful information for understanding the limitations and challenges associated with cold spray additive manufacturing. The framework provides insights into improving the quality and precision of stress/strain formation, particle interactions and particle deposition in cold spray additive manufacturing process.