Abstract
The transitional behavior of the splat pattern of Ni particles sprayed on a flat substrate was investigated. Based on Auger analysis and SEM observation, it was confirmed that the splashing was formed not by material flowing on the substrate surface from the impingement center to the periphery, but by jetting away from the central disk. Observations of etched splat surfaces revealed that the bottom portion of the central disk solidified rapidly after impingement, and it was also confirmed, based on the direction of the splash pattern, that the splashing was caused by stumbling due to some type of deterrent to liquid flow, such as poor wettability at the flow tip or initial rapid solidification of the splat. The drastic change of the splat pattern near the transition temperature seems to occur when the Weber number of the liquid flow coincides with some critical value.