Mechanical Properties of Cu-0.1Ag Alloys Deposited by Cold Spray with Various Powder Feed Rate and Heat Treatment

This work focuses on the properties of Cu-Ag alloys deposited by a cold spray process. Helium was used as the carrier gas and main gas to reach particles velocity of 823 m/s, which is in the middle range of the deposition window for Cu alloys. A closed loop circuit avoiding costly helium losses was implemented. Thus, deposition efficiency higher than 95%, porosity below 0.1%, and oxygen content below 150 ppm were obtained. The influence of the deposition parameters on microstructure, mechanical properties ( ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, hardness), and residual stress level in the material was studied. Intensive work hardening mechanisms are involved by comparison with classically forged material allowing a large tailoring of the material's properties through specific heat treating.