Application of Mass Finishing for Surface Modification of Copper Cold Sprayed Material Consolidations

Abstract

The surface roughness of additively manufactured (AM) components can have deleterious effects on the properties of the final part, such as corrosion resistance and fatigue life. Modification of the surface finish or parts produced by AM processes, such as cold spray, through methods such as mass finishing, can help to mitigate some of these issues. In this work, the surface evolution of as-produced copper cold sprayed material consolidations was studied through mass finishing. Three different copper powders attained by different production methods and of different sizes were used as feedstock. The surface topography of the cold spray deposits was measured as a function of the mass finishing time for the three copper cold spray samples and analyzed in terms of relative area and complexity, revealing an inverse correlation relating material removal rate and hardness/strength of the cold sprayed deposits. The material removal rate was also affected by the quality of the cold spray deposition, as defined by deposition efficiency (DE). Large initial drops in relative area and complexity are also likely due to the removal of loosely bonded powders at the start of mass finishing. Based on this study, the cold spray parameters that affect the rate of mass finishing have been explored.