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Enhancing Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Cold-Sprayed Aluminum Through Graphene Nanoplatelet and Boron Carbide Reinforcement

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Abstract

This study explores the effects of adding graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and micro-boron carbide (μB4C) on the mechanical and tribological behaviors of cold-sprayed aluminum matrix composites (MMC) coatings. The coatings were synthesized through high energy ball milling (HEBM) and cold sprayed with nitrogen, resulting in 4 distinct Al-MMC compositions: pure Al, 2 vol.% µB4C, 2 vol.% GNP, and 1 vol.% µB4C with 1 vol.% GNP. The as-sprayed coatings underwent heat treatment at 400 °C to enhance their density and strength. Compared to the pure Al coating, the Al-GNP/µB4C and Al-µB4C compositions exhibited an improvement of 27.5 and 39.6%, respectively, in hardness and adhesive strength values. Moreover, the Al-GNP/µB4C coating demonstrated a significant reduction of 42.5 and 45.3% in specific wear rate and depth of the wear track, respectively.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the Office of Naval Research for providing funding support (N0001422WX00041). We would also like to thank Thomas Stapel for his assistance with optical profilometry. Finally, we want to dedicate this work to the memory of our dear friend and colleague Andy Nieto whose vision and passion made this research possible. The views and conclusions in this document are those of the authors and do not represent official policy or statements from the Department of Defense or the US Government.

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  1. Coatings and Composites for Extreme Environments Laboratory (CE)2, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, 93943, USA

    Achyuth Kulkarni, Samuel Rice & Troy Y. Ansell

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  1. Achyuth Kulkarni
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Correspondence to Troy Y. Ansell.

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Kulkarni, A., Rice, S. & Ansell, T.Y. Enhancing Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Cold-Sprayed Aluminum Through Graphene Nanoplatelet and Boron Carbide Reinforcement. J Therm Spray Tech 32, 2351–2363 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-023-01645-8

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