Recent developments in solid-state cold spraying of Al matrix composites: a critical review

International audience; Cold spraying (CS) is solid-state powder deposition process with several unique advantages in production of metal matrix composites, having attracted much attention from academia and industry in recent years, especially in the area of Al matrix composites, which have great potential applications in aerospace, automotive and manufacturing industries. This article aims to summarize the recent development of Al matrix composites fabricated by CS process from the aspects of composite powder preparation, deposition processing, microstructure evolution, mechanical and corrosion properties. Further, as cold spraying additive manufacturing (CSAM) of Al matrix composite is becoming other hot topic in recent years, this review will also report the research progress on post treatments of the AMCs for CSAM applications including heat treatment, hot rolling, and friction stir processing. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives on fabrication of AMCs by CS is also addressed.