Optimization of cold gas-dynamic spraying of neutron-absorbing composite (Al + B$_4$C) coatings

The possibility of obtaining composite coatings from a mixture of aluminum and boron carbide powders for neutron shielding by cold gas-dynamic spraying has been studied. The dependences of the deposition efficiency and the residual content of boron carbide in the coating on its initial content in the sprayed mixture of powders were derived. The obtained regularities have been analyzed, and an approach has been proposed to search for the boron carbide concentration in the powder mixture that is optimal for creating effective neutron-absorbing coatings. It has been shown that the highest productivity of the spraying process is achieved when using the optimal powder composition with (a volume fraction of boron carbide of about 0.5).