Application of cold spray technology
Cold spray technology, thanks to its unique low-temperature deposition characteristics and excellent coating performance, has found widespread and critical applications in the aerospace sector. It demonstrates irreplaceable advantages in the manufacture and repair of aircraft engine components. Critical components such as engine blades and turbine disks operate in high-temperature, high-pressure, and highly corrosive environments, making them highly susceptible to wear, corrosion, and fatigue damage. Using cold spray technology to repair these components not only accurately restores their dimensional accuracy but also avoids the thermal deformation and performance degradation associated with traditional welding or thermal spraying. For example, an aircraft engine maintenance company used cold spraying of nickel-based alloy powder to repair worn turbine blade shrouds. The repaired blades demonstrated excellent wear resistance and high-temperature oxidation resistance during test runs, achieving a service life exceeding 85% of that of new parts and significantly reducing repair costs. Cold spray technology is also used to prepare sealing coatings for engine casings. By spraying an aluminum-silicon coating, the airtight seal of the casing is effectively improved, reducing air leakage losses and boosting engine efficiency.
In the energy and power industry, cold spray technology provides a highly effective solution for equipment corrosion protection, wear protection, and component repair. Boiler pipes and turbine blades in thermal power plants operate in high-temperature flue gas and steam environments for extended periods, subjecting them to severe corrosion and erosion wear. Using cold spray technology to apply nickel-based alloy or stainless steel coatings to these components significantly improves their corrosion and wear resistance. Practical data from a thermal power plant shows that cold spraying 316L stainless steel coatings on boiler water-wall tubes extended their service life from three years to over eight years, reducing downtime and maintenance costs and saving tens of millions of yuan annually. In the wind power sector, cold spray technology is used to apply corrosion-resistant coatings to wind turbine towers. By spraying a zinc-aluminum pseudo-alloy coating, a uniform, dense protective layer is formed on the tower surface. Its salt spray resistance reaches over 5,000 hours, far exceeding the 1,000 hours of traditional paint coatings, effectively adapting to the harsh environment of offshore wind power.
In the automotive manufacturing and repair sector, the application of cold spray technology has effectively improved the performance and service life of automotive parts. For key components such as engine blocks and crankshafts, cold spray technology can be used for surface strengthening and wear repair. For example, cold spraying a nickel-based alloy coating on the inner wall of an engine cylinder improves its wear and corrosion resistance, reduces mechanical wear, and extends the engine’s service life. Tests by one automaker have shown that the overhaul mileage of engine blocks treated with cold spray technology has increased from 300,000 kilometers to over 500,000 kilometers. In automotive repair, cold spray technology can repair dimensional deviations caused by collisions or wear, such as on transmission gears and drive shafts. Compared to traditional overlay welding repairs, cold spray repairs do not cause thermal deformation, the dimensional accuracy of the parts is easier to control, and the performance of the repaired components is comparable to that of new parts, significantly reducing repair costs and time.
In the defense and military industry, cold spray technology provides strong support for the lightweighting and enhanced performance of weaponry. In armored vehicle manufacturing, cold spraying can be used to strengthen the surface of aluminum alloy armor plates. By applying a high-hardness ceramic-metal composite coating, the armor’s ballistic resistance is significantly improved without increasing its weight. Tests conducted by a research institute have shown that aluminum alloy armor plates coated with a cold-sprayed alumina-aluminum composite coating offer over 30% greater resistance to 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds than untreated plates. In light weapons manufacturing, cold spraying is used to create wear-resistant coatings for the inner bores of gun barrels. By applying a chromium alloy coating, the barrel’s wear and ablation resistance are enhanced, extending its service life. Furthermore, cold spraying can be used to create sealing and stealth coatings for missile casings. By depositing specialized functional coatings, the sealing and stealth properties of missiles are enhanced, thereby increasing the combat effectiveness of weaponry.
The unique advantages of cold spray technology are also being fully utilized in the electronics and medical fields. In the electronic packaging field, cold spray technology can be used to produce highly conductive and thermally conductive coatings to meet the heat dissipation and electrical conductivity requirements of electronic components. For example, cold spraying a copper coating on a ceramic substrate can form a uniform, dense conductive layer with a conductivity exceeding 95% IACS. The coating also exhibits a strong bond with the ceramic substrate, making it suitable for high-density integrated circuit packaging. In the medical implant field, cold spray technology can be used to modify the surface of titanium alloy implants. By spraying a hydroxyapatite coating, the biocompatibility of titanium alloy implants is improved and bone-to-implant adhesion is promoted. A medical device company has developed an artificial hip prosthesis using cold spray technology. The hydroxyapatite coating has a bond strength of over 50 MPa to the titanium alloy substrate. Clinical applications have shown that post-operative bone integration time is 30% shorter than with traditional coatings, and the incidence of complications is significantly reduced. With the continuous development of technology, the application of cold spray technology in the electronics and medical fields will become more extensive, providing a strong impetus for the advancement of related industries.
