Standoff distance and bow shock phenomena in the Cold Spray process

Cold Spray involves the deposition of metallic powder particles using a supersonic gas jet. When the nozzle standoff distance is small, a bow shock is formed at the impingement zone between the supersonic jet and the substrate. It has long been thought that this bow shock is detrimental to process performance as it can reduce particle impact velocities. By using computational fluid dynamics, Particle Image Velocimetry and Schlieren imaging it was possible to show that the bow shock has a negative influence on deposition efficiency as a result of a reduction in particle velocity. Furthermore, the existence of the bow shock was shown to be dependent on the length of the nozzleʹs supersonic potential core. Experiments were carried out with aluminium, copper and titanium powders using a custom-made helium nozzle, operating at 2.0 MPa and 20 °C, and a commercial nitrogen nozzle operating at 3.0 MPa and 300 °C. In all cases, it was found that there is a direct relationship between standoff distance and deposition efficiency. At standoff distances less than 60 mm, the bow shock reduced deposition efficiencies by as much as 40%.