Co-deposition reconstruction and defects evolution of cold-sprayed alumina/aluminum composites: advanced modeling and experimental validation

This study presents a detailed investigation through numerical simulations and experimental validation of the prepared composite by adjusting process parameters in cold spray additive manufacturing, offering valuable insights for customized composites. The finite element modeling analysis reveals up to 0.5 in the longitudinal compression ratio and 2.7 in lateral mobility of aluminum particles during deposition in a higher fabrication parameter. The alumina splat experiment shows that high spraying parameters accelerate ceramic particles to critical velocity, intensifying impacts onto the substrate and enhancing ceramic fragment embedding. Moreover, meticulously crafted numerical simulations of alumina/aluminum co-deposition elucidate the influence of compaction energy in coating synthesis during the deposition. Furthermore, the coating encountered X-ray reconstruction to quantitatively analyze the size characteristics and distribution frequencies of ceramics and fragments in the deposits. In addition, it is discovered that the volume fraction of alumina in the sample obtained by increasing the spraying parameters can reach 34.44 %, and the maximum particle size is 55.3 μm. Notably, the primary defects in the coating are identified at the alumina/aluminum interface, and a decrease in defects is attributed to alumina fragmentation and thermal softening of metals. A numerical model was developed to investigate particle deformation, energy evolution, and compaction effects during co-deposition in cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM). The model combined with experimentation also explores the evolution mechanism of the tailored microstructure of alumina particulate-reinforced metal matrix composites (APMMC) based on spraying parameters. • A FEM and experiments validated APMMC preparation via metal/ceramic co-deposition in the CSAM. • The thermal softening effects and dynamic compaction in layer-by-layer co-deposition were analyzed. • CT reconstruction revealed the ceramic content positively correlates with fabrication parameters during CSAM. • High-parameter APMMC deposition increases thermal softening and plastic deformation, reducing manufacturing defects.