Effect of direct-current plasma fluctuations on in-flight particle parameters: Part II

This paper is the continuation of previous work,^[1] in which plasma fluctuations were shown to produce significant time-dependent variations in the in-flight particle temperature and velocity, as well as in the number of detected particles. In this paper, the impact of the plasma fluctuations on the coating microstructure and deposition efficiency is demonstrated. Alumina coatings and deposition efficiencies, obtained with two sets of spray conditions showing similar in-flight particle conditions (velocity and temperature) with the DPV-2000 but displaying very different voltage fluctuations, are compared. The coating produced in the less stable plasma condition (C-I) is found to be more porous and contains a larger number of unmelted particles than the other coating produced in more steady plasma conditions (C-II). Moreover, condition C-I yields a significantly lower deposition efficiency. Such large discrepancies must be traced back to the physical characteristics of the particle jet. Laser illumination of the particle jet is used to probe particles too cold to be detected by pyrometric means. Cold particles are found in a much larger proportion in C-I than in C-II. They are ascribed to particles that are injected when the plasma is in a low enthalpy state. Periodic time-dependent variations in the in-flight characteristics of cold and hot particles, synchronous with the voltage fluctuations, are revealed.     

Influence of process parameters on the deposition footprint in plasma-spray coating

This paper presents an investigation of the influence of plasma spray process conditions on the in-flight particle behavior and their cumulative deposition to form a coating on the substrate. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses were performed to model the in-flight particle behavior in the plasma-spray process and their deposition on the substrate. The plasma spray was modeled as a jet issuing from the torch nozzle through the electrical heating of the arc gas. In the model, particles were injected into the plasma jet where they acquired heat and momentum from the plasma, some got melted and droplets were formed. By means of a droplet splatting model, the particle in-flight data generated by the CFD analyses were further processed to build up an imaginary three-dimensional deposition profile on a flat stationary substrate. It is found that the powder carrier gas flow rate influences the particle distribution on the substrate by imparting an injection momentum to the particles that were directed radially into the plasma jet in a direction perpendicular to the plasma jet. The larger sized particles will acquire higher injection momentum compared with the smaller sized particles. This causes particle distribution at the substrate surface that is elliptical in shape with the major axis of ellipse parallel to the particle injection port axis as illustrated in Fig. 1. Larger particles tend to congregate at the lower part of the ellipse, due to their greater momentum. The distribution of particle size, temperature, velocity, and count distribution at the substrate was analyzed. Further, based on the size and the computed particle temperature, velocity histories, and the impact sites on the substrate, the data were processed to build up a deposition profile with the Pasandideh-Fard model. The shapes of deposition profiles were found to be strongly driven by the segregation effect.     

Velocity and Temperature of In-Flight Particles and Its Significance in Determining the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TBCs

The correlation between particle in-flight parameter, defect content and mechanical property of yttria-stabilized zirconia coating was systematically studied in the present work. The melting state of in-flight particle during spraying was simulated using computational fluid dynamics. The results suggested that, with the increase of velocity and temperature of in-flight particles in the plasma jet, the particles changed from partially melted state to fully melted one. As a result, the total defect content of as-sprayed coating gradually decreased, while elastic modulus and microhardness increased correspondingly. However, the fracture toughness of as-sprayed coating reached a maximum value when the total defect content reached approximately 9.1%.     

Effect of in-flight particle properties on deposition of air plasma sprayed forsterite

Properties of forsterite coatings deposited by two DC-arc plasma spray guns were studied. The guns generate different types and shapes of plasma jets, resulting in different particle/plasma interactions and different microstructures in the coatings due to the different in-flight particle histories. The particle histories are characterized by cross-sectional maps of the plasma jet showing particle temperature, velocity, and particle size distributions and the number of particles correlated with the coating microstructures.     

Effect of plasma fluctuations on in-flight particle parameters

The influence of arc root fluctuations in direct current (DC) plasma spraying on the physical state of the particle jet is investigated by correlating individual in-flight particle temperature and velocity measurements with the instantaneous voltage difference between the electrodes. In-flight diagnostics with the DPV-2000 sensing device involve two-color pyrometry and time-of-flight technique for the determination of temperature and velocity. Synchronization of particle diagnostics with the torch voltage fluctuations are performed using an electronic circuit that generates a pulse when the voltage reaches some specific level; this pulse, which can be shifted by an arbitrary period of time, is used to trigger the acquisition of the pyrometric signals. Contrary to predictions obtained by numerical modeling, time-dependent variations in particle temperature and velocity due to power fluctuations induced by the arc movement can be very large. Periodic variations of the mean particle temperature and velocity, up to ΔT=600 °C and Δv=200 m/s, are recorded in the middle of the particle jet during a voltage cycle. To our knowledge, this is the first time that large time-dependent effects of the arc root fluctuations on the particle state (temperature and velocity) are experimentally demonstrated. Moreover, large fluctuations in the number of detected particles are observed throughout a voltage cycle; very few particles are detected during parts of the cycle. The existence of quiet periods suggests that particles injected at some specific moments in the plasma are not heated sufficiently to be detected.     

Neural computation to predict in-flight particle characteristic dependences from processing parameters in the APS process

In-flight particle sensors for thermal spraying are used for real-time monitoring of coating manufacture. However, such tools do not offer facilities to tune the processing parameters when the monitoring reveals fluctuations or instabilities in the thermal jet. To complete the process control, any diagnostic sensors need to be coupled with a predictive system to separate the effect of each processing parameter on the in-flight particle characteristics. In this work, a nonlinear dynamic system based on an artificial neural network (ANN) model is proposed to play this role. It consists of a method that relates the processing parameters to the particle emitted signal characteristics recorded with a DPV2000 (TECNAR Automation, St-Bruno, QC, Canada) optical sensing device. In such a way, a database was built to train and optimize an ANN structure. The in-flight particle average velocity, temperature, and diameter of an alumina-13wt.%titania feedstock were correlated to the injection and power parameters. Correlations are discussed on the basis of these predictive results.     

Relationships between in-flight particle characteristics and properties of HVOF sprayed WC-CoCr coatings

Commercially available WC10Co4Cr powder was thermally sprayed by HVOF process. The methane was used as the fuel gas and its flow rate was successively changed as well as the oxygen. The investigation was carried out to determine the influence of operating parameters on the evolution of velocity and temperature of in-flight particles in order to have a better understanding of the interaction between the particle and the flame jet. In relation to the particle characteristics, properties of the sprayed coatings were examined in terms of microstructure, porosity level and microhardness. The results show that the particle velocity and temperature depends strongly on the particle size. The variation of the methane flow rate has a more obvious influence on the velocity and temperature of particles than that of the oxygen. The changes of porosity and microhardness of deposited coatings are discussed corresponding to the variation of fuel and oxygen flow rates.     

In-situ particle temperature, velocity, and size measurements in DC Arc plasma thermal sprays

Particle temperature, velocity, and size measurements in DC arc plasma thermal sprays are reported in this article. Experiments were performed using a conventional DC are argon-hydrogen plasma with two 7 wt % yttria-stabilized zirconia powders injected transversely into the plasma jet. Measurements were performed along the axis of the plasma jet as well as at a number of radial locations at several axial positions. It was found that transverse injection of the powder results in the aerodynamic size classification of the powder with the large particles penetrating further across the plasma jet than the smaller particles, which were more readily swept by the high momentum of the plasma jet. Consequently, the particle temperatures were influenced by their degree of penetration into the core of the plasma jet. Average particle temperatures showed a good degree of uniformity radially and decayed with increasing downstream distance. When nanoclustered particles were injected into the plasma, significant differences in particle velocities and temperatures were observed in comparison to the conventional powder under the same plasma operating and particle injection conditions. These differences were attributed to the penetration characteristics of the powder into the plasma jet and the consequent effects on the particle heat up. Hence, axial injection of powder into plasma jets may provide more uniform and axisymmetric particle property distributions compared to the transverse injection schemes.     

等离子喷涂ZrO2热障涂层工艺参数优化设计

为了深入研究等离子喷涂ZrO2粒子的飞行特征与涂层性能之间的关系，采用三水平四因素正交试验法对主气、辅气、电流及喷涂距离等4个主要参数进行了优化设计，并采用DPV2000热喷涂在线监测仪测定了ZrO2粒子的飞行特征参数，通过IA32定量金相分析软件对涂层的孔隙率进行了测试。结果表明，影响ZrO2粒子温度的主要因素为主气和辅气，影响ZrO2粒子飞行速度的主要因素为喷涂距离和辅气。     

Numerical Study on Plasma Jet and Particle Behavior in Multi-arc Plasma Spraying

Plasma jet and particle behavior in conventional single-arc plasma spraying has been subject to intensive numerical research. However, multi-arc plasma spraying is a different case which has yet to be investigated more closely. Numerical models developed to investigate the characteristics of multi-arc plasma spraying (plasma generator, plasma jet, and plasma–particle interaction models) were introduced in previous publications by the authors. The plasma generator and plasma jet models were already validated by comparing calculated plasma temperatures with results of emission spectroscopic computed tomography. In this study, the above-mentioned models were subjected to further validation effort. Calculated particle in-flight characteristics were compared with those determined by means of particle diagnostics and high-speed videography. The results show very good agreement. The main aim of the current publication is to derive conclusions regarding the general characteristics of plasma jet and particle in-flight behavior in multi-arc plasma spraying. For this purpose, a numerical parameter study is conducted in which the validated models are used to allow variations in the process parameters. Results regarding plasma jet/particle in-flight temperatures and velocities are presented. Furthermore, the general characteristics of plasma jet and particle behavior in multi-arc plasma spraying are discussed and explained. This contributes to better understanding of the multi-arc plasma spraying process, in particular regarding the injection behavior of particles into hot regions of the plasma jet. Finally, an example test case showing a possible practical application area of the models is introduced.     

In-Flight Particle Measurement of Alkali-Free Glass Raw Materials in 12-Phase AC Arc Plasma

In-flight particle measurements of the surface temperature and velocity are important for understanding of melting behavior of glass particles during in-flight melting by multi-phase AC arc plasma. However, the use of optical pyrometry for particle surface temperature has inevitable uncertainties due to non-thermal emissions signals from the plasma plume. This work presents spectroscopic measurements of the non-thermal signals which were found to be caused mainly by the plasma emissions scattered by the particles and the radiation emitted by vapor. After that, the accuracy of thermal radiation measurement was estimated and surface temperature of in-flight glass particle was corrected.     

Novel method for in-flight particle temperature and velocity measurements in plasma spraying using a single CCD camera

A novel, technically simple imaging system for individual, in-flight particle temperature and velocity measurements for plasma and other thermal spray processes is described. A custom double dichroic mirror is used to add spectral resolving capability to a single, black-and-white, fast-shutter digital charge coupled device (CCD) camera. The spectral double images produced by the individual in-flight particles are processed using specialized image processing algorithms. Particle temperature determination is based on two-color pyrometry, and particle velocities are measured from the length of the particle traces during known exposure times. In this paper, experimental results using the first prototype system are presented. Laboratory tests were performed using rotating pinholes to simulate in-flight particles, and plasma spraying experiments were performed with commercial, standard spraying equipment operated with Al₂O₃ and NiCrAlY powders. The prototype instrument can be readily used to determine velocity and temperature distributions of individual in-flight particles from the imaged region of interest of the plume. Dividing the imaged area into smaller sections, spatial distributions of particle temperature, velocity, and number of detected particles can be studied. The study aims to develop a technically simple, single imaging instrument, which can provide a visual overview of the spray plume in combination with quantitative evaluation of the most important spray particle parameters.     

Computational study and experimental comparison of the in-flight particle behavior for an external injection plasma spray process

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis using Fluent V5.4 was conducted on the in-flight particle behavior during the plasma spraying process with external injection. The spray process was modeled as a steady jet issuing from the torch nozzle via the heating of the are gas by an electric are within the nozzle. The stochastic discrete model was used for the particle distribution. The particle temperature, velocity, and size inside the plasma plume at a specified standoff distance have been investigated. The results show that carrier gas flow rate variation from 2 standard liters per minute (slm) to 4.0 slm can increase the centerline particle mean temperature and mean velocity by 10% and 16%, respectively, at the specified standoff distance. A further increase of the carrier gas flow rate to 6 slm did not change the particle temperature, but the particle velocity was decreased by 20%. It was also found that an increase in the total arc gas flow rate from 52 slm to 61 slm, with all other process parameters unchanged, resulted in a 17% higher particle velocity, but 6% lower particle temperature. Some of these computational findings were experimentally confirmed by Kucuk et al. For a given process parameter setting, the kinetic and thermal energy extracted by the particles reached a maximum for carrier gas flow rate of about 3.5–4.0 slm.     

Nanoparticles Modeling in Axially Injection Suspension Plasma Spray of Zirconia and Alumina Ceramics

Suspension plasma spray (SPS) is a thermal spray method in which nanoparticles are injected into the plasma jet with the help of suspension droplets to achieve thin and finely structured nanocoatings. The nanoparticles experience three in-flight stages: injection within the suspension droplets, discharge of the nanoparticle agglomerates after the evaporation of the suspension solvent, and tracking of the nanoparticle or agglomerates during the momentum and heat transfer with the plasma jet before coating. A numerical model is proposed in this paper for nanoparticle injection, discharge, acceleration, heating, melting, and evaporation. Initial values of suspension droplet size and agglomerate size are selected according to typical experimental data. Noncontinuum effects on particle acceleration and heating, known as Knudsen effects, are considered, as well as the influence of evaporation on the heat transfer. After a comparison with the experimental data, this nanoparticle model is applied for zirconia and alumina axially injected into the suspension plasma spray. Trajectory, velocity, and temperature of the in-flight nanoparticles are predicted for different initial sizes ranging from 30 nm to 1.5 μm; the distributions of the particle characteristics for multiple particles in the spray are also presented. The effects of powder size and material, power input, plasma gas flow rate, and standoff distance on the nanoparticle characteristics have been investigated and discussed.     

基于响应曲面的Ar气氛超音速等离子喷涂钛涂层

采用超音速等离子喷涂可低成本、高效率制备钛涂层。采用响应曲面法（RSM）中的Box-Behnken（BBD）设计分析了Ar流量、功率、喷涂距离3个因素与超音速等离子射流中钛粒子飞行速度和温度的交互性,利用SEM和显微硬度计研究了钛涂层的微观结构和显微硬度。结果表明：建立的线性模型可靠,喷涂距离对粒子飞行速度和温度影响最大,且随喷涂距离增加粒子飞行速度减小温度增加,而Ar流量和功率对粒子飞行速度和温度的影响与喷涂距离相反。超音速等离子喷涂制备出的钛涂层硬度较低,且呈多孔结构,随粒子飞行速度增加孔隙率降低。     

Oxidation control in atmospheric plasma spraying coating

Thermal spray coatings are formed by successive impingements and interbonding materials among the splats, solidified individual molten particles. Depending on the processing conditions employed during the spray process, deposits are produced with an assortment of microstructures and properties. This study highlights how the coating oxidation differences are influenced by the mechanisms involved during the spray process. The commercial steel powder referenced Amdry XPT 512 is chosen for a systematic study of comparison across different spraying techniques. Steel particles were sprayed with a F4 plasma torch and with a shrouded plasma spray process used in order to protect particles against atmospheric oxidation. The plasma jet was successively shielding by an inert gas shroud and by an oxidizing gas shroud. In-flight oxidation and post impact oxidation present in coatings are discussed in detail and the effects of these mechanisms on coating properties are addressed. The comparison was made on in-flight particle characteristics and on coating properties in terms of oxide content and porosity level. Using shrouded gas, in-flight characteristics are quite similarly independent of the nature of the shrouded gas. This way, the comparison of oxide contents present in the coatings corresponds to in-flight oxidation and is completely dependent on the nature of the shrouded gas. Comparing these results to those obtained by APS, a decrease in both velocity and temperature of in-flight particles was observed leading also to a significant decrease in oxide contents and to a slight increase in porosity level compared to coatings sprayed with air shrouding.     

Sensors in Spray Processes

This paper presents what is our actual knowledge about sensors, used in the harsh environment of spray booths, to improve the reproducibility and reliability of coatings sprayed with hot or cold gases. First are described, with their limitations and precisions, the different sensors following the in-flight hot particle parameters (trajectories, temperatures, velocities, sizes, and shapes). A few comments are also made about techniques, still under developments in laboratories, to improve our understanding of coating formation such as plasma jet temperature measurements in non-symmetrical conditions, hot gases heat flux, particles flattening and splats formation, particles evaporation. Then are described the illumination techniques by laser flash of either cold particles (those injected in hot gases, or in cold spray gun) or liquid injected into hot gases (suspensions or solutions). The possibilities they open to determine the flux and velocities of cold particles or visualize liquid penetration in the core of hot gases are discussed. Afterwards are presented sensors to follow, when spraying hot particles, substrate and coating temperature evolution, and the stress development within coatings during the spray process as well as the coating thickness. The different uses of these sensors are then described with successively: (i) Measurements limited to particle trajectories, velocities, temperatures, and sizes in different spray conditions: plasma (including transient conditions due to arc root fluctuations in d.c. plasma jets), HVOF, wire arc, cold spray. Afterwards are discussed how such sensor data can be used to achieve a better understanding of the different spray processes, compare experiments to calculations and improve the reproducibility and reliability of the spray conditions. (ii) Coatings monitoring through in-flight measurements coupled with those devoted to coatings formation. This is achieved by either maintaining at their set point both in-flight and certain spray parameters (spray pattern, coating temperature…), or defining a good working area through factorial design, or using artificial intelligence based on artificial neural network (ANN) to predict particle in-flight characteristics and coating structural attributes from the knowledge of processing parameters.     

Study of Flying Particles in Plasma Spraying

In this article, the trajectories of ceramic and metal particles in plasma spray are calculated by solving related momentum and energy equations. Meanwhile, the spatial distributions, temperatures, velocities, as well as diameters of the particles are measured by employing an online, in-flight particle sensor (DPV2000). The experimental and computational results are in good agreement. It has been found that the particle flying trajectories are dependent on material types and particle diameters, and in a plane vertical to the spraying axis, there is a certain corresponding relationship between the particle diameter and the particle velocity, as well as particle temperature.     

超音速火焰喷涂WC-10Co4Cr粒子行为试验研究

采用DPV-eVOLUTION型热喷涂监控装置对超音速火焰喷涂WC-10Co4Cr过程中的粉末粒子特性进行研究,重点分析喷涂工艺参数对火焰中粒子的温度、速率的影响规律。结果表明:粒子速率、粒子温度和粒子直径并不沿火焰中心线对称分布;在喷涂过程中,直径较小的颗粒可以获得更高的速率;当喷涂距离增加时,粒子的速率和温度均存在极大值;气体流量的增加导致粒子温度和速率同时提高。     

In-Flight Temperature and Velocity of Powder Particles of Plasma-Sprayed TiO2

This paper relates to the in-flight temperature and velocity of TiO₂ particles, an integral part of the systematic research on atmospheric plasma spraying of the material. Initial powder feedstock (32-45 μm, 100% rutile phase) was introduced into the plasma jet. Six parameters were selected to represent the versatility of the plasma system and their respective influences were determined according to basic one-at-a-time and advanced Taguchi design of experiments combined with the analysis of variance analytical tool. It was found that the measured temperatures varied from 2121 to 2830 K (33% variation), while the velocities of the particles were altered from 127 to 243 m/s (91% variation). Gun net power was detected as the most influential factor with respect to the velocity of the TiO₂ particles (an increase of 8.4 m/s per 1-kW increase in net power). Spray distance was determined to have a major impact on the in-flight temperature (a decrease of 10 mm in spray distance corresponds to a drop of 36 K). A significant decrease in both characteristics was detected for an increasing amount of powder entering the plasma jet: A drop of 7.1 K and 1.4 m/s was recorded per every +1 g/min of TiO₂ powder.