| Abstract: |
Aluminum and its alloys are used on countless aerospace parts; from simple secondary structures (such as brackets) to primary structures (such as landing gears) and protective coatings. These parts cannot currently be repaired when damaged during regular operation, or during initial machining, due to a lack of existing economical/ practical repair technologies. Currently, when these extremely intricate and expensive aluminum parts are damaged, they are removed and brand new parts have to be machined from bulk material. Damaged coatings must be completely stripped and recoated. This is an extremely costly and time consuming process.
The objective of this study is to develop an economical and practical technique for the repair/ restoration of damaged aluminum aerospace parts and coatings using commercially available cold spray technology. The examination of both coating and feedstock powders are performed by different techniques such as optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Corrosion resistance, porosity, bond strength and hardness of the coating have been evaluated. In order to prove the concept, aluminum alloy substrates have been gouged to appropriate depths of normal damage. These gouges are filled and the parts are machined back to original dimensions, where they are conversion coated or anodized. Damaged IVD aluminum coatings on steel substrates have also been repaired using the same technique. Cold spray has shown to be a promising technique for the deposition of aluminum and its harder alloys for this application.
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