Effect of Cu-Fe Bond Coat Composition on the Microstructure and Adhesion of Cold Sprayed Copper Coatings on Steel

Product information

Master's Student Luke Hihi,  luke.hihi@mail.mcgill.ca; Ioannis Kotsakis, ioannis.kotsakis@mail.mcgill.ca; Phuong Vo, Phuong.Vo@cnrc-nrc.gc.ca; Stephen Yue, steve.yue@mcgill.ca; M. Harfouche, R. Chromik, 

https://doi.org/10.53192/ITSC2026566

Cold spray is a solid-state deposition technique capable of producing dense, thick coatings with minimal oxidation and phase transformations, making it an attractive technique for temperature sensitive or oxidation prone materials. However, challenges remain when depositing dissimilar material systems, especially soft metals like copper onto hard substrates such as iron or steel. The poor adhesion in these systems is largely due to the mismatch in hardness between the coating and substrate, which limits plastic deformation in the substrate and hinders the formation of strong metallurgical bonds. One of the strategies used to address this issue is the use of intermediate bond coats, sprayed by mixing “soft” and “hard” feedstock powder particles of different material type.

In this study, copper coatings are deposited onto steel substrates by using Cu-Fe intermediate bond coats. The copper and iron feedstock powder ratio in the bond coat is systematically varied to identify optimal conditions that facilitate more effective bonding between the coating and the substrate. The resulting coatings are evaluated based on their adhesion strength, hardness, and microstructural integrity using scratch testing, microhardness measurements, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.

Reihe

PDF-Download zu https://doi.org/10.53192/ITSC2026566

Erscheinungsdatum

March 2026

Bindung

PDF Download

Seiten

6