Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

This final report is an analysis of 6061 aluminum cold spray material and its suitability for Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) purposes. Cold spray Al 6061 has significantly poorer mechanical properties compared to conventional Al 6061. While aluminum is typically a very ductile material, the cold spray process produced brittle samples with comparatively low elongation and elastic modulus. Aside from the high percentage of porosity noted in the cold spray microstructure, metallographic evaluation found similar microstructures between cold spray and conventional Al 6061, thus indicating porosity as the likely cause of poor mechanical properties. Cold spray parts produced with the current printing process (while the porosity issue remains unsolved) should not be used as substitutes for conventional Al 6061 materials in critical applications.