Cold Spray of Al-MMC Coatings on Magnesium Alloys for Improved Corrosion and Wear Resistance

Abstract:

Cold spray coatings are considered promising for surface protection of Mg alloys from wear and corrosion since the process temperature is low enough to avoid oxidation of the Mg or any adverse affects on artificial ageing heat treatments. A special version of cold spray known as Kinetic Metallization has been used to produce pure Al and Al alloy metal matrix composite (MMC) coatings on AZ91 Mg alloy substrates in the present work. This surface treatment produces dense coatings with high adhesive and cohesive strength, which have substantially higher hardness and wear resistance than the AZ91 substrate material. The influence of coating composition and subsequent heat treatment on wear and corrosion performance have been investigated, using pin-on-disc wear tests, salt spray testing and electrochemical polarisation techniques. The heat treatment of the cold spray coatings is compatible with the solutionising and T6 ageing heat treatment of AZ91Mg. The results show that cold spray deposition of MMC coatings is a simple and effective technique for improving the surface properties of Mg alloys, both in the as-cast and in the heat treated condition