Two-dimensional simulation of liquid metal spray deposition onto a complex surface

Abstract

In this paper we present the results of the modelling of the spraying of liquid metal which solidifies on an arbitrary surface and of the subsequent growth of the deposit. The new, two-dimensional continuous model consists of a definition of the source involved in the spraying process, the kinetics of points on an arbitrary substrate, including their visibility and the spray's sticking efficiency, and the redefinition of a new surface on the completion of every iteration step. A simple merging procedure is developed to reconnect parts of a curve which become too close during spraying. This procedure produces closed voids, called macro pores, in the deposited material. The model can also predict porosity distribution in the deposited material, defined here as a continuous function of the spray's parameters. The model has been applied in several cases when a spray's parameters were varied, the most important parameter being the spraying angle. The influence of this parameter on shape evolution was determined. The porosity distribution function was calculated for every set of input parameters, and its relationship to the shape evolution was established. With these results one can predict the running strategy in real experiments, in order to optimize the filling efficiency for filling of different initial shapes with sprayed material and to minimize the forming of macro pores.