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Simulation of surface roughness during the formation of thermal spray coatings

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/412965· OSTI ID:412965

The formation of a thermal spray coating was analyzed to identify methods to reduce the surface roughness of the coating. A new methodology was developed which uses a string of equally spaced node points to define the shape of the coating surface and to track the shape change as the thermal spray mass is deposited. This allows the calculation of arbitrary shapes for the coating surface which may be very complex. The model simulates the stochastic deposition of a large number of thermal spray droplets, where experimental data is used for the mass flux distribution on the target surface. This data shows that when the thermal spray mass impinges on the target surface, a large fraction of it (over-spray) splashes off the target and is re-deposited with a small spray angle, resulting in a large coating roughness. This analysis was used in a parameter study to identify methods for reducing the coating roughness. Effect of the shape of the profile for the pre-roughened substrate was found to be small. Decreasing the droplet size by a factor of 2 decreased the roughness by 13%. Increasing the spray angle for the over-spray by a factor of 2 decreased the roughness by 50%, and decreasing the amount of over- spray by a factor of 2 decreased the roughness by 51%.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
412965
Report Number(s):
SAND--96-8224; ON: DE97050515
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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