Velocity of the Particles Accelerated by a Cold Spray Micronozzle: Experimental Measurements and Numerical Simulation

In the current study, velocities of aluminum, zinc, and copper particles accelerated in an axisymmetric cold spray micronozzle are numerically simulated and experimentally measured. It is found that aluminum and zinc particles can be accelerated to velocities close to the critical values in a supersonic nozzle with 1-mm exit diameter, 0.5-mm throat diameter, and 20-mm length when helium is used as the process gas. The diameter of the particle jet delivered by the micronozzle does not exceed 1.3 mm for any of the types of the tested powders.