Study of In-Flight and Impact Dynamics of Non-Spherical Particles from HVOF Guns

In this study, computational methods are used to examine the in-flight dynamics of non-spherical WC-Co particles sprayed from HVOF guns and their impingement on substrates. Two sets of computational models are developed. First, the in-flight particles are simulated in a CFD-based combusting gas flow. Particle information prior to impact is extracted from the CFD results and fed into a FEA model to dynamically track the impingement of particles on the substrate. Particle morphology is examined for both spherical and non-spherical powders to establish critical particle impact parameters for bonding.