Mechanical matching and microstructural evolution at the coating/substrate interfaces of cold-sprayed Ni, Al coatings

The effect of mechanical hard/soft matching of raw powder and substrate in the cold gas dynamic spraying process (CDSP) on the formation of intermetallic compounds was examined. Instead of pre-alloyed materials, pure Al and Ni were selected as a soft and a hard material, respectively, and post-annealing was used for compound formation. Most of the aluminide layers were observed in the coated layer, but not in the substrate, along with the entire original interface for both Al coating on a Ni substrate and vice versa. Thickening of the compound layer depended mainly on the creation of defects during spraying and intrinsic diffusivity of atoms moving toward the coating side. When Ni was coated, the compound layer was made thicker by fast diffusion of Al, while the thickness was limited in soft Al coating on hard Ni substrate. However, the composition of the compound can be affected by relative transfer of diffusing atoms toward both the coating and the substrate. So, for Ni coating on an Al substrate, most of the intermetallic compound formed was Ni-rich and conversion of the Al-rich compound was observed after post-annealing above 500 degrees C. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.