Comparison between friction stir processing and laser remelting processes of cold sprayed metallic composite coatings

Friction stir processing (FSP) is applied for the post-treatment of an Al-Cu-Ni cold spray metal composite in order to produce an alloy coating. The results are compared with laser remelting of the same material. It was shown that both post-treatment procedures form an alloy containing new intermetallic phases AlNi and Al2Cu initially absent in the as-sprayed material. The integrity of the coating treated by FSP was significantly higher than the laser-treated one due to the absence of material melting, which can introduce significant porosity. Thus, FSP could be considered an efficient post-treatment process of cold sprayed composite coatings leading to the improvement of the coating uniformity and modification of the phase composition.

Automated summary

Friction stir processing (FSP) and laser remelting were compared as post-treatment procedures for an Al-Cu-Ni cold spray metal composite. Both methods produced an alloy coating with new intermetallic phases AlNi and Al2Cu that were not present in the as-sprayed material. The integrity of the FSP-treated coating was significantly higher than the laser-treated one due to the absence of material melting. FSP is an efficient post-treatment process for improving the uniformity and phase composition of cold sprayed composite coatings.