Shear Instability and Localization in High-Speed Cold Spray Processes: Impact on Particle Fragmentation and Bonding...

This study investigates the deformation behavior and interfacial phenomena occurring during the high-velocity impact of a copper particle into a copper substrate under various conditions using FEM. It also offers an enhanced physics-based model based on discrete dislocation dynamics simulations to depict newly observed features such as interfacial instabilities and shear localization leading to bonding and particle fragmentation. To investigate bonding mechanisms at the particle-substrate interface, additional simulations using a one-element-thickness model are conducted. These simulations focus on the deformation behavior at the interface, revealing wavy shape formation in the substrate due to disparities in strain-rate levels. Material instabilities, localized at the intersection of plane and release waves, progress hand-in-hand during the early stages of impact, suggesting shear behavior as a precursor to instabilities. The effect of shear viscosity on particle deformation and interfacial behavior is also examined, showing that increased viscosity leads to thermal material softening and enhanced deformation. Material jetting and interfacial instability are observed, particularly at higher viscosity thresholds. Additionally, the impact of drag coefficient variations on particle deformation is explored, indicating a critical role in interfacial stability and particle flattening. Finally, the occurrence of adiabatic shear instability and localization is investigated, revealing shear localization regions at the particle-substrate interface and within the particle itself responsible for particle fragmentation. To this aim, damage initiation and evolution laws are applied to identify regions of shear localization, crucial for particle-substrate bonding and mechanical interlocking. The impact velocity is shown to influence shear localization, with higher velocities resulting in increased deformation and larger localization regions.