Examination of the critical velocity for deposition of particles in cold spraying

The critical velocity of copper (Cu) particles for deposition in cold spraying was estimated both experimentally and theoretically. An experimental method is proposed to measure the critical velocity based on the theoretical relationship between deposition efficiency and critical velocity at different spray angles. A numerical simulation of particle impact deformation is used to estimate the critical velocity. The theoretical estimation is based on the critical velocity corresponding to the particle velocity at which impact begins to cause adiabatic shear instability. The experimental deposition was conducted using Cu particles of different particle sizes, velocities, oxygen contents, and temperatures. The dependency of the critical velocity on particle temperature was examined. Results show that the critical velocity can be reasonably measured by the proposed test method, which detects the change of critical velocity with particle temperature and oxygen content. The Cu particles of oxygen content 0.01 wt.% yielded a critical velocity of about 327 m/s. Experiments show that the oxygen content of powder significantly influences the critical velocity. Variations in oxygen content can explain the large discrepancies in critical velocity that have been reported by different investigators. Critical velocity is also found to be influenced by particle temperature as well as types of materials. High particle temperature causes a decrease in critical velocity. This effect is attributed to the thermal softening at elevated temperatures.