Application of laser shock adhesion testing to the study of the interlamellar strength and coating–substrate adhesion in cold-sprayed copper coating of aluminum

Compared with conventional thermal spraying, cold spraying should exhibit specific interlamellar (i.e., at sprayed particle boundaries) properties and coating–substrate interface due to certain characteristics of this process. These characteristics result from the spraying of particles at a low (“cold”) temperature combined with a high velocity, which leads to a low oxidation and a limited residual porosity in the sprayed coating. the fairly recent development of cold-spray processing and to investigation difficulty in this field, very little is known about interface properties, primarily interlamellar strength and coating–substrate adhesion. s study, laser shock adhesion testing, namely, LASAT, was developed to be suitable for the determining of both the interlamellar strength and the coating–substrate adhesion. sting of cold-sprayed Cu onto Al showed that Cu–Cu interlamellar strength was about of the same order as that of Cu–Al coating–substrate adhesion. s are discussed in the light of a parallel microstructural investigation into Cu–Cu and Cu–Al interfaces. More generally, this study demonstrated the feasibility of the LASATesting as a powerful tool for the measuring of adhesion, including in local zones.