Study on cold-sprayed Fe-based metallic glass reinforced Cu composite coatings applied to 6061 T6 Al alloy base material

This study investigated the effectiveness of Fe-based metallic glass particles as a reinforcing agent in Cu-based composite coating fabricated using cold spray technology. The cold spray process was conducted at 600 degrees C and 5 MPa. The influence of Fe-based metallic glass content on coating thickness, microstructure, porosity, hardness and shear strength was systematically analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the coating thickness, microstructure and porosity. The microhardness was measured using a microhardness tester, and shear strength was assessed via the ear shear test. The results revealed that the addition of Fe-based metallic glass particles significantly influenced the performance of the coatings. As the mass fraction of Fe-based metallic glass particles increased, the coating thickness and porosity decreased, while microhardness and shear strength improved. Specifically, at 35 % Fe-based metallic glass content, the coating thickness sharply decreased from 355.1 f 12.2 mu m (pure Cu) to 152.8 f 10.7 mu m, while porosity was reduced from 0.58 f 0.02 % to 0.14 f 0.01 %. Meanwhile, the microhardness increased from 157.1 f 1.7 HV (pure Cu) to 177.4 f 1.1 HV, and the shear strength dramatically improved from 37.1 f 1.6 MPa to 114.8 f 4.3 MPa. These findings underscore the critical role of Fe-based metallic glass particles as a reinforcing phase, significantly enhancing the density and mechanical properties of Cu-based composite coatings.