Joint research work between the University of Limoges and the State University of New York, Stony Brook, has been carried out on the impact and solidification of plasma sprayed zirconia particles. A measurement device, consisting of a phase doppler particle analyser and a pyrometer, was used to correlate the characteristic parameters of splats to those of the substrate and to the size, velocity and temperature of the impacting particles.

This is the second paper of a two part series based on an interdisciplinary research investigation between the University of Limoges, France, and the State University of New York, Stony Brook, USA, aimed at fundamental understanding of the plasma-particle interaction, deposit formation dynamics and microstructure development. In this paper, the microstructure development during plasma spraying of zirconia is investigated from the point of view of deposition parameters and splat formation (part I). Splats and deposits have been produced at Limoges and Stony Brook under controlled conditions of particle parameters and substrate temperatures. The zirconia splat microstructures thus obtained are examined for their shape factors, grain size, crystallographic texture and defects. Further the deposits were analyzed for phases, porosity and mechanical properties in an effort to develop a process-microstructure property relationship. The results suggest a strong role played by the deposition temperature on the microstructure and properties of the deposit.

Experiments have shown that the mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed coatings depend to a large extent on the details of the spraying process, in particular, they are strongly dependent on the details of the solidification and deformation history of the individual droplets which are in turn highly affected by the substrate conditions such as its temperature, material, and surface thermal contact resistance. In this study, droplet-substrate interactions are investigated through a complete numerical solution of droplet impact and solidification for a typical thermal spray process. The energy equation is numerically solved for both droplet and substrate regions; the solution is based on the Enthalpy Method for the liquid and solidified parts of the droplet, and the conduction heat transfer in the substrate. The numerical solution for the complete Navier-Stokes equations is based on the modified SOLA-VOF method using rectangular mesh in axisymmetric geometry. The developed model is suited for investigating droplet impact and simultaneous solidification permitting any desired condition at the substrate. The splat shape, the solidification front, and the temperature profile in the entire droplet and substrate regions are obtained at any desired time elapsed after the impact. Through these results, the nucleation and growth of solidification and droplet-substrate interactions are extensively studied.

Thermal spray layers are formed on rough surfaces; however, the flattening process on rough surfaces has not yet been clarified. A mathematical flattening model which takes into account the roughness of the substrate or previously coated layers is proposed in this paper. As a result of surface roughness, the flattening degree and the flattening time decrease with increasing surface roughness in this model. In addition, the characterization of surface roughness is introduced for the flattening model. Several calculated cases of the flattening model are shown.

An experimental study was done of the impact and solidification of tin droplets falling on a stainless steel surface. The surface temperature was varied from 25°C to 240°C. Measurements were made of droplet diameters and contact angles during droplet spread. At a surface temperature of 240°C there was no solidification, and a simple model of liquid droplet impact successfully predicted the extent of droplet spread. Droplets impacting on surfaces at 25°C and 150°C solidified before spreading was complete.