Spray forming of aluminum alloys and its composites: an overview

In this article, the work that has been carried out in the area of spray forming of aluminum alloys and its composites has been summarized. The developments that had taken place in the past two decades in this area have been presented. Most of the researchers have investigated on the microstructural properties of these alloys and their composites. In this article, main emphasis was given to the microstructures, wear characteristics, and mechanical properties of as-cast and as-sprayed aluminum alloys. Also, this article is designed to provide the microstructures of as-cast and as-sprayed aluminum-15% silicon alloy. The microstructure of as-sprayed alloy has invariably indicated equiaxed grains throughout the deposit and has been observed that the Si particles are uniformly distributed in the Al matrix. Spray forming offers a combination of low cost manufacturing with enhanced properties and performance. As such it has emerged as a key competitor for existing technologies such as conventional casting, ingot metallurgy, and powder metallurgy.