The Effect of Post-Heat Treatment on Microstructure of 316L Cold-Sprayed Coatings and Their Corrosion Performance

Abstract

The combined effects of process gases and post-heat treatment temperature on the microstructure of 316L cold-sprayed coatings on Al5052 substrates have been investigated in this study. The stainless steel coatings were subjected to heat treatment at four different temperatures (250, 500, 750, and 1000 degrees C) to study the effect of heat treatment. In addition, the corrosion performances of the coatings at different process temperatures have been compared using the potentiodynamic scanning technique. Microstructural characterization of the coatings was carried out using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. The results of present study showed that cold-sprayed stainless steel coatings processed with helium exhibited higher corrosion resistance than those of coatings sprayed with nitrogen process gas. This could partially be attributed to the reduction in porosity level (4.9%) and improvement of particle-particle bonding. In addition, evaluation of the mechanical and microstructural properties of the coatings demonstrated that subsequent heat treatment has major influence on the deposited layers sprayed with He process gas.