Development of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Coating by Cold Spray Technique

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene or UHMWPE is an extremely difficult material to coat with, as it is rubbery and chemically very inert. The Cold Spray process appears to be a promising alternative processing technique but polymers are in general difficult to deposit using this method. So, attempts to develop UHMWPE coatings were made using a downstream injection cold spray technique incorporating a few modifications. A conventional cold spray machine yielded only a few deposited particles of UHMWPE on the substrate surface, but with some modifications in the nozzle geometry (especially the length and inner geometry) a thin coating of 45 μm on Al substrate was obtained. Moreover, experiments with the addition of fumed nano-alumina to the feedstock yielded a coating of 1-4 mm thickness on Al and polypropylene substrates. UHMWPE was seen to be melt crystallized during the coating formation, as can be seen from the differential calorimetry curves. Influence of nano-ceramic particles was explained by observing the creation of a bridge bond between UHMWPE particles.