Tue, 14 October, 2025
We are delighted to announce the launch of a new collaborative project at TWI, in partnership with Brunel University London and Babcock International Group, titled, ‘Novel hybrid cold-spray and electropulsing technology for repairing metallic components.’ The project aims to develop a hybrid repair technology that integrates cold spray (CS) deposition with electropulsing treatment (EPT) to deliver next-generation repair solutions for metallic components.
Cold spray is a solid-state additive material deposition technique known for its ability to deposit materials without melting, thereby preserving the microstructure of the feedstock and without affecting the substrate’s integrity. This process avoids the thermal damage associated with fusion-based methods, but it can result in defects and weak bonding/adhesion at the deposit-substrate interface. Moreover, as-sprayed deposits can contain process-induced defects such as fine cracks and porosity. Meanwhile, electropulsing treatment has demonstrated significant potential in healing micro-defects and cracks in metals through controlled high-density electrical pulses. This process induces localised heating and compressive stresses, which enhance bonding at the interface, promote recrystallisation, and heal microcracks, all without affecting the surrounding material.
By combining these two advanced techniques for the first time, the project team seek to create a fully solid-state repair solution capable of addressing process-induced micro-defects in cold spray coatings. Unlike traditional thermal post-processing methods, EPT enables microstructural refinement without causing grain growth or thermal degradation, offering a cleaner, energy-efficient, and more reliable repair process.
The project is supported under the Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP) – Round 5, run by the Henry Royce Institute with principal funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
This collaboration brings together leading expertise from academia and industry to advance repair technologies for critical components used in sectors such as aerospace, defence, and energy.