Numerical Study of Combination Parameters for Particle Impact Velocity and Temperature in Cold Spray

Numerical simulations of gas/particle flows of cold spray are performed for N₂ and He as a process gas respectively, to investigate the usefulness of the two material-independent combination parameters derived from the equations of particle motion and temperature. The first combination parameter is the particle-diameter multiplied by the material density, which governs the particle velocity. The second one is the squared particle-diameter multiplied by the material density and specific heat, which affects the particle temperature. In the numerical simulation, the materials of the spray particle selected are WC-12Co, Cu and Ti. The diameter of the particle is in the range of 0.1 – 30 µm. The present numerical results show that the maximum impact velocity of particle is obtained when the first combination parameter takes specific value regardless of the material type. Furthermore, it is shown that the particle diameter and its temperature corresponding to the maximum impact velocity can be graphically estimated by using the two combination parameters for any powder-materials normally used for the thermal spray.