Cavitation And Impingement Resistant Materials With Photonically Assisted Cold Spray

Abstract

Various methods are disclosed for coating or treating a substrate to enhance resistance of the substrate to at least one of cavitation and liquid impingement. One specific method may involve providing an amorphous metal composition which is able to be atomized. The amorphous metal composition may be applied as an atomized spray to a surface of the substrate via a high velocity spray operation to coat the surface. The coated surface may have at least one of a Vickers hardness number of at least about 1100 HVN, or a yield strength of at least about 700 MPa, or a thermal stability between about 600° C. and about 700° C., and is highly resistant to the effects of cavitation and/or liquid impingement.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of coating a substrate to enhance resistance of the substrate to at least one of cavitation and liquid impingement, the method comprising:
 providing an amorphous metal composition able to be atomized;   applying the amorphous metal composition as an atomized spray to a surface of the substrate via a high velocity spray operation to coat the surface;   and wherein the coated surface has at least one of:
 a Vickers hardness number of at least about 1100 HVN; 
 a yield strength of at least about 700 MPa; or 
 a thermal stability between about 600° C. and about 700° C. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of the  claim 1 , further including a preliminary operation of pre-heating the substrate using a heat source to achieve substrate softening, to thus further enhance bonding with the substrate. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the preliminary operation of pre-heating the substrate using a heat source comprises using light from diodes to pre-heat the substrate. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operation of applying the amorphous metal composition as an atomized spray comprises using a cold spray process. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operation of applying the amorphous metal composition comprises using a high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) process. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the amorphous metal composition comprises one of:
 structural amorphous metal 2×5 (SAM2×5); or   structural amorphous metal 1651 (SAM1651).   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising using localized heating of the surface of the substrate subsequent to applying the amorphous metal composition, and wherein the amorphous metal composition is formed in situ into a nickel aluminide coating in response to the localized heating. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the localized heating comprises using at least one of:
 a laser;   a laser diode;   induction heating; and   an electron beam.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the amorphous metal composition comprises nickel aluminide. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nickel aluminide comprises IC-221M. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using a laser peening operation to introduce compressive stresses into the substrate. 
     
     
         12 . A method of coating a substrate to enhance resistance of the substrate to at least one of cavitation and liquid impingement, the method comprising:
 providing an amorphous metal composition;   applying the amorphous metal composition onto a surface of the substrate via at least one of a cold spray process or a high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) process to coat the surface;   using a post coating operation to further heat the coated surface; and   wherein the coated surface has a yield strength of at least about 700 MPa.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the post coating operation comprises heating with a high power diode array. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the amorphous metal composition comprises nickel aluminide. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the coated surface has a Vickers hardness number of at least about 1100 HVN. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the coated surface has a thermal stability between about a thermal stability between about 600° C. and about 700° C. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising using a laser peening operation at least one of before the amorphous metal composition is applied to the substrate or after the amorphous metal composition is applied to the substrate. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the localized heating comprises using at least one of:
 a laser;   a laser diode;   induction heating; and   an electron beam.   
     
     
         19 . A method for coating a substrate to enhance resistance of the substrate to at least one of cavitation and liquid impingement, the method comprising:
 providing an amorphous metal composition on a portion of a film, the film being positioned over, and in proximity to, the substrate;   applying a tamping fluid to a surface portion of the film which is not facing the substrate;   applying a laser pulse to the surface portion of the film which is not facing the substrate, the laser pulse being of sufficient energy to shear off and accelerate a portion of the film carrying the amorphous metal composition onto the substrate to bond the amorphous metal composition to the substrate.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the amorphous metal composition comprises nickel aluminide. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising performing a laser peening operation on a surface of the structure at least one of before or after the amorphous metal composition is deposited on the surface. 
     
     
         22 . A method of coating a substrate to enhance resistance of the substrate to at least one of cavitation and liquid impingement, the method comprising:
 providing an amorphous metal composition including nickel and aluminum on a surface of a substrate;   preheating a portion of the surface to be acted on by a friction stir processing tool;   using the friction stir processing tool to perform a friction stir operation on the nickel and aluminum to form, in situ, a nickel aluminide coating on the surface.