A method is proposed for creating principally new functionally graded heterogeneous materials on the basis of B4C ceramic powders with different mass fractions in the original mixture and plastic meta

The cold gas dynamic spray (CGDS) method used to form composite Ni+B4C coatings from mechanical powder mixture with various content of abrasive components is investigated, and the surface and microstr

The paper presents experimental data for production of a coating using cold gas dynamic spraying with a mask with transverse size in the range 0.3–1 mm and placed at different distances from the substrate. The coated samples were produced, and coating profiles were measured in the vicinity of the masked zone. The tests with depositing of aluminum powder and copper powder demonstrated that the distinct profile of masked zone is obtained for placing the mask at a distance below critical (depending of spray conditions). The most accurate boundary of the masked zone takes place at a minimal distance (depends on the coating thickness). Depending on the spraying conditions, the increase in the mask-substrate distance may result either in monotonic decline of the masked zone width or a slight increase for a certain range. Experimental data are generalized by normalizing with the transverse size of the mask (under other equal conditions).

In this study, the synthesis of tungsten carbides in a copper matrix by spark plasma sintering (SPS) is conducted and the microstructure formation mechanisms of the composite materials are investigated. The reaction mixtures were prepared by the high-energy mechanical milling (MM) of W, C and Cu powders. The influence of the MM time and SPS temperature on the tungsten carbide synthesis in an inert copper matrix was analyzed. It was demonstrated that the milling duration is a critical factor for creating the direct contacts between the W and C reactants and increasing the reactive transformation degree. A WC–W₂C–Cu composite was fabricated from the W–C–3Cu powder mixture milled for 10 min and subjected to SPS at a temperature of 980 °C for 5 min. The formation of unconventional microstructures with Cu-rich regions is related to inter-particle melting during SPS. The WC–W₂C–Cu composite showed a promising combination of mechanical and functional properties: a hardness of 300 HV, an electrical conductivity of 24% of the International Annealed Copper Standard, a residual porosity of less than 5%, a coefficient of friction in pair with a WC-6Co counterpart of 0.46, and a specific wear rate of the material of 0.52 × 10⁻⁵ mm³ N⁻¹ m⁻¹.

Laser processing is an effective post-treatment method for modifying the structure and improving the properties of cold-sprayed coatings. In the present work, the possibility of fabricating a hard and wear-resistant Ti-based cermet coating by cold spray followed by laser remelting was studied. A mixture of titanium and chromium carbide powders in a ratio of 60/40 wt.% was deposited by cold spray onto a titanium alloy substrate, which ensured the formation of a composite coating with a residual chromium carbide content of about 12–13 wt.%. The optimal values of laser beam power (2 kW) and scanning speed (75 mm/s) leading to the qualitative fusion of the coating with the substrate with minimal porosity and absence of defects were revealed. The microstructure and phase composition of as-sprayed and remelted coatings were examined with SEM, EDS and XRD analysis. It was shown that the phase composition of the as-sprayed coating did not change compared to the feedstock mixture, while the remelted coating was transformed into a β-Ti(Cr) solid solution with uniformly distributed nonstoichiometric TiC_x particles. Due to the change in microstructure and phase composition, the remelted coating was characterized by an attractive combination of higher microhardness (437 HV_0.1) and lower specific wear rate (0.25 × 10⁻³ mm³/N × m) under dry sliding wear conditions compared to the as-sprayed coating and substrate. Laser remelting of the coating resulted in a change in the dominant wear mechanism from oxidative–abrasive to oxidative–adhesive with delamination.