A three-dimensional, time-dependent numerical model of free-surface flows and heat transfer including phase change has been used to simulate the impact of a liquid droplet on a solid particle and to predict the size of the void under the solid particle caused by incomplete filling by liquid landing on top of it. The solid particle was considered to be a protrusion on the substrate. Fluid flow in the impacting liquid droplet was modeled using a finite difference solution of the Navier-Stokes equations in a 3D Cartesian coordinates assuming laminar, incompressible flow. Heat transfer in the liquid droplet was modeled by solving the energy equation, assuming densities of liquid and solid to be constant and equal to each other. The free surface of the liquid droplet was assumed to be adiabatic. The porosity in this simulation was defined as the volume of the incompletely filled void under the solid particle to the volume of the solid particle. The simulation was repeated with different process parameters, and the results showed that process parameters play significant roles in determining the amount of porosity. A correlation is found to express the porosity as a function of the process parameters.

Thermal spray has traditionally been used for depositing metallic, carbide and ceramic coatings, however, it has recently been found that the high kinetic energy of the High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) thermal spray process also enables the solventless processing of high melt viscosity polymers, eliminating the need for harmful, volatile organic solvents. A primarily goal of this work was to develop a knowledge base and improved qualitative understanding of the impact behavior of polymeric particles sprayed by the HVOF combustion spray process. Numerical models of particle acceleration, heating and impact deformation during HVOF spraying of polymer particles have been developed. A Volume-of-Fluid (VoF) computational fluid mechanics package, Flow3D®, was used to model the fluid mechanics and heat transfer during particle impacts with a steel substrate. The radial temperature profiles predicted using particle acceleration and heat transfer models were used as initial conditions in Flow3D® together with a temperature-dependent viscosity model to simulate polymer particles with a low temperature, high viscosity core and high temperature, lower viscosity surface. This approach predicted deformed particles exhibiting a large, nearly hemispherical, core within a thin disk, and was consistent with experimental observations of thermally sprayed splats made using an optical microscope.

High velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) sprayed, functionally graded polyimide/WC-Co composite coatings on polymer matrix composites (PMC's) are being investigated for applications in turbine engine technologies. This requires that the polyimide, used as the matrix material, be fully crosslinked during deposition in order to maximize its engineering properties. The rapid heating and cooling nature of the HVOF spray process and the high heat flux through the coating into the substrate typically do not allow sufficient time at temperature for curing of the thermoset. It was hypothesized that external substrate preheating might enhance the deposition behavior and curing reaction during the thermal spraying of polyimide thermosets. An additional difficulty arises from the low thermal conductivity and low specific heat capacity of the PMC substrate, which prevent effective substrate preheating by the HVOF jet as in the case of metallic substrates. A simple analytical process model for the deposition of thermosetting polyimide onto polymer matrix composites by HVOF thermal spray technology has been developed. The model incorporates various heat transfer mechanisms and enables surface temperature profiles of the coating to be simulated, primarily as a function of substrate preheating temperature. Four cases were modeled: (i) no substrate preheating; (ii) substrates electrically preheated from the rear; (iii) substrates preheated by hot air from the front face; and (iv) substrates electrically preheated from the rear and by hot air from the front. Thermal properties of the polyimide needed for the simulations were determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). Microstructural characterization of the coatings and the morphology of polyimide splats sprayed both with and without substrate preheating were analyzed using standard metallographic techniques. Coating temperature in cases (iii) and (iv) never dropped below the crosslinking temperature of the polyimide feedstock. This was the critical condition required for the curing reaction and successful deposition of thermosets by HVOF thermal spraying.

The spreading and solidification of a molten droplet is governed a number of factors such as fluid inertia, viscosity, surface tension, surface wettability, heat transfer between the droplet and substrate, and surface thermal properties. Most numerical and experimental studies of droplet impact have considered a single molten droplet landing on a flat, solid surface. This paper investigates the sequential deposition of tin droplets with their centers offset using a three-dimensional model of droplet impact and solidification. In this study, the successive deposition of two tin droplets on a stainless steel substrate is simulated and the results are compared with photographs of impacting droplets. Paper includes a German-language abstract.

The adhesion of plasma sprayed polyamide and PMMA coatings to steel depends markedly on the plasma arc power, the spraying distance and the substrate temperature. Each of these process parameters shows an optimum value with respect to adhesion. The underlying reason for this behaviour is the pronounced sensitivity of polymers to temperature. Heat transfer analysis and electron microscopy indicate that a critical amount of heat is required to be transferred from the flame to the feedstock particles in order to provide sufficient splat flow but avoid coating thermal degradation. Inadequate flow leads to interfacial voidage while degradation gives inferior bonding and porosity.

A heat transfer analysis has been undertaken to predict the influence of process parameters on the decomposition of in-flight particles and deposited layers during thermal spraying of polymer coatings. The theoretical analysis shows that polymers are unique in developing large temperature gradients, which accelerates the degradation of the surface of the particles and the coating layers. However, the analysis indicates that the degradation can be limited by the control of the plasma gas composition, the spraying distance and the torch traverse speed. The theoretical analysis has been confirmed by weight loss measurements, wear tests and microstructural observations of plasma sprayed PMMA coatings. The work shows the existence of a critical traverse speed below which satisfactory coatings cannot be produced.