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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

High-Velocity Impact of Metal Microparticles

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The recent development of the laser-induced particle impact test (LIPIT) has enabled direct imaging of individual microparticles as they impact a substrate at velocities of hundreds or thousands of meters per second. This technique allows for precisely controlled high-throughput impact testing, creating new opportunities for the study of material behavior under extreme dynamic conditions. In this thesis, a series of experiments are presented which use the LIPIT to impact metal microparticles onto metal substrates across a range of controlled velocities. An ultrahigh-speed camera records the resulting rapid deformation of the impacting microparticles and impacted substrates, and post-mortem characterization is conducted on each impact site. A wide range of dynamic mechanical behaviors are observed, including jetting, surface oxide break-up, impact-induced melting, particle fragmentation, and hydrodynamic penetration. This research speaks directly to the cold spray additive manufacturing method, in which a stream of solid metal particles is impacted onto a surface to deposit metal coatings. The physics that control the upper and lower bounds of the velocity window over which cold spray can occur are explored. Microparticle impact behavior regimes are measured and mapped as a function of velocity for several different metals, and the role of surface passivation layers in controlling cold spray adhesion is examined. Finally, experiments relevant to the study of impact-induced erosion are presented, which explore the formation of solid and liquid ejecta clouds during impact and examine how kinetic energy is dissipated by melting and substrate material ejection.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctoral
Department dc:contributor.department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Year dc:date.issued
2022

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Lienhard, Jasper Z.
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Schuh, Christopher A.

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
  • Copyright MIT

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/154360
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/154360

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
MIT
Base URL
dspace.mit.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Lienhard, Jasper Z.. High-Velocity Impact of Metal Microparticles. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/154360