Application of Cold Spray Coatings for Repair of Aerospace Parts

There are currently no practical/economical repair methods for many aerospace parts made of aluminum/titanium. The Cold Spray technology produces metal coatings by accelerating metal powders into the substrate to be coated using high velocity jet at supersonic speeds. Upon impact the particles plastically deform and produce a dense coating. Metals such as aluminum/titanium can be applied by this process without damaging the parts to be coated. As such, it is believed that Cold Spray can be used to restore/repair damaged aluminum/titanium aerospace coatings/parts as well as other parts. Its successful implementation as a restoration/repair technology will result in major cost savings and reduce schedule time and thus will allow the Canadian technologies developed and commericialized by Centreline to be adopted by aerospace companies such as Boeing and generate considerable revenues from selling the equipment, parts and know-how. The interns will perform intensive research and development activities using the Cold Spray technology in order to develop and complete the feasibility and qualification/certification teseting required for the various restoration/repair or aerospace parts/coatings. In particular, they will study the effect of the numerous spray parameters on the coatings microstructure and mechanical properties to optimize the coating/restoration production.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. B. Jodoin

Student:

Mathieu Bolduc/Daniel Macdonald/Nawfel Bouzayani/Ines Baccari/Hamed Trabelsi/Mohammed Yandouzi/Patrick Richer

Partner:

Centerline Ltd.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Aerospace and defense

University:

University of Ottawa