Homogenization of Plastic Behavior of Metallic Particle/Epoxy Composite Adhesive for Cold Spray Deposition

A combination of a metallic mesh and an adhesive layer of metallic particle/epoxy composite was introduced as an intermediate layer to enhance the adhesion between cold-sprayed particles and fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs). Aluminum was considered for both the metallic particles in the adhesive and the metallic mesh. To predict the mechanical characteristics of the intermediate bond layer under a high strain rate, the properties of the adhesive layer needed to be calculated or measured. Therefore, in this study, the Al particle/epoxy adhesive was homogenized by using a rule of mixture. To verify the homogenization, the penetration depth, and the thickness decrease after the cold spray deposition from the undeformed surface, was monitored with FE analysis and compared with experimental observation. The comparison displayed that the penetration depth was comparable to the diameters of one cold spray particle, and thus the homogenization approach can be reasonable for the prediction of the stress level of particulate polymer composite interlayer under a high strain rate for cold spray processing.