Cathodic arc plasma deposition of nano-multilayered Zr-O/Al-O thin films

Thin films of Zr-O/Al-O were deposited on SKD 11 tool steel substrate using Zr and Al cathodes in a cathodic arc plasma deposition system. The substrates were mounted on a rotating holder which alternatively exposed them to plasma from the two cathodes. The influence of the Zr and Al cathode arc currents and the substrate bias on the mechanical and the structural properties of the films were investigated. Films with a nano-layered structure of alternating Al-rich and Zr-rich layers were obtained. The Zr layers contained nano-crystallites of (101) oriented t-ZrO structure. Crystallites with α-Al₂O₃ structure were observed only when the substrate was negatively biased in the 100-150 V range. The hardness of the film decreased with the increase of Zr cathode current from 60 to 80 A, increased when the Al cathode current increased from 25 to 30 A, and decreased when the Al cathode current increased from 30 to 35 A. The hardness of the film increased with the increase of bias voltage up to − 150 V and then decreased with further increase of the negative bias. The film structure was elucidated by HRTEM microscopy. Good correlation between the residual stress and the hardness enhancement of the films was observed.     

Cathodic arc plasma deposition of nano-multilayered ZrN/AlSiN thin films

Thin films of ZrN/AlSiN were deposited on SKD 11 tool steel substrate using Zr and AlSi cathodes in an Ar/N₂ gas mixture in a cathodic arc plasma deposition system. The influence of the AlSi cathode arc current and the substrate bias voltage on the mechanical and structural properties of the films was investigated. X-ray diffraction, electron probe micro-analysis, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, nanoindentation and profilometry were used to characterize the films. The ZrN/AlSiN thin films had a multilayered structure by rotating the substrate in which nano-crystalline ZrN layers alternated with amorphous AlSiN layers. The hardness of the films increased as the AlSi cathode arc current was raised from 35 to 40 A, and then decreased with a further increase of the current. The hardness of the films increased with the increase of the bias voltage from − 50 to − 100 V. Further increase in the bias voltage decreased the hardness. The films exhibited a maximum hardness of 38 GPa. With the increase of bias voltage, the residual stress of the films correlated well with the hardness.     

Effects of pressure on metal atom transport and plasma properties during arc ion plating of TiAlN

Arc ion plating is used to deposit titanium and aluminum nitrides as wear and corrosion resistant layers on the surface of steel tools. In this study, the deposition efficiency for the evaporated metal atoms in arc ion plating was obtained by a view factor solution for the collisionless transport and a diffusion solution for the continuum transport. In the diffusion solution, the deposition efficiency decreases rapidly with pressure. A global nitrogen plasma model with a set of simplified plasma chemistry was used to investigate the plasma properties at pressures ranging from several mTorr up to 50 mTorr. The results indicate that the electron temperature, the ratio of electric field to gas density, and the nitrogen atom density all decrease with increasing pressure, while the plasma density increases. Based on the combined considerations of deposition efficiency and effective ion bombardment of the films on the substrate, an operating pressure range from 20 to 30 mTorr is recommended for highly efficient (Ti, Al)N coating during film deposition.     

等离子多层熔积混相瞬态流场与温度场的模拟

建立了一种二维等离子熔积成形瞬态模型,该模型描述了熔积成形过程中多层熔积层的自由表面发展,并模拟了熔池内流体流动和传热.通过水平集(Level-Set)方法处理熔积轨迹、液/气界面等因素,考虑了熔体流动的主要驱动力-表面张力梯度、表面曲率以及浮力等.并采用SIMPLEC算法求解控制方程.以K163合金为例,对多层熔积成形过程混相瞬态场进行了模拟,所得到的计算结果与试验结果基本一致;并分析了熔积工艺参数(熔积电流、熔积扫描速度和送粉速度)对熔积层表面形貌及熔积质量的作用规律.     

Low-pressure plasma deposition of tungsten

This study investigated the microstructure of tungsten produced by the low-pressure plasma spraying (LPPS) process, with particular attention given to the mechanisms that govern the formation of porosity. Accordingly, contamination in the LPPS-processed tungsten was evaluated by measuring the carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen contents. The LPPS-processed tungsten contained 100 ppm C, 26 ppm N₂, and 154 ppm O₂, compared to 10,12, and 250 ppm, respectively, in the as-received powder. X-ray diffractometry studies failed to reveal the presence of any reaction products in the LPPS-processed tungsten. Regarding porosity, studies using scanning electron microscopy revealed that an elevated concentration of micrometer-sized pores was present in the LPPS-processed tungsten. The mechanisms governing the formation of porosity are discussed in terms of the following four factors: the presence of the unmelted powders in the deposit, the interaction between droplets and deposition surface, the presence of porosity in the as-received powder, and the formation of solidification shrinkage.     

沉积路径对等离子弧快速成形Inconel625合金组织及性能的影响

研究了沉积路径对等离子弧快速成形Inconel625合金组织及性能的影响,分析了不同沉积路径条件下沉积态组织的生长机制.结果表明,沉积路径对组织特征的影响机理主要表现为不同的热输入和散热方向,导致了不同温度梯度,从而影响组织生长的延续性,正反交替路径获得最佳的成形质量和力学性能,交叉路径虽然导致了组织的交替生长,促进了层内区域细小的枝晶的生成和Laves相的弥散析出,但在层与层边界处,严重的元素偏析,大量脆性相的析出以及枝晶的粗化使力学性能没有大幅度提高.     

等离子弧焊中电弧反翘现象的数值模拟

根据流体的质量、动量、能量守恒方程,建立了穿孔等离子弧焊接过程中的等离子电弧三维数学模型,用磁矢量法求解磁场问题.模型包括了一部分喷嘴和钨阴极,小孔也被包含进模型中.利用ANSYS有限元分析软件求解模型,得到等离子电弧的温度分布,以研究等离子弧焊中电弧反翘现象.结果表明,等离子电弧反翘随小孔尺寸的增大而减弱,电弧尾焰随小孔尺寸的增大而增强;而适当的增加焊接速度以使小孔轴线与电弧轴线之间形成一定的偏差是形成等离子电弧反翘现象的必要条件;焊接电流主要是通过改变小孔尺寸而对电弧反翘产生影响.     

纵向磁场下GTAW电弧传热与流动数值模拟

针对外加纵向磁场(LMF)下的焊接电弧的传热与流动特性,建立基于磁流体动力学的二维轴对称数学模型,将流体动力学理论与麦克斯韦方程组进行耦合对电弧的温度场、电势场、电弧压力以及电流密度等进行求解,又分别对磁感应强度为0与0.06 T下的阳极热进行定量分析与对比. 结果表明,外加LMF驱动带电粒子旋转并使电弧扩张,其中心出现负压并形成反重力流将阳极热汇聚于阴极附近,同时电弧因高速旋转增大热对流损失,降低焊接热效率.当磁感应强度为0.06 T时,阳极表面的电流密度、热流密度以及电弧压力等由中心分布转化为双峰分布模式.     

复杂零件等离子熔积无模成形的温度场模拟

提出高斯-双椭球复合热源和辐射-对流综合边界模型以考虑等离子热源及热边界.为提高计算效率、再现等离子熔积"增材制造"全过程,采用了动态网格自适应技术和"生死单元".基于ANSYS开发了复杂零件参数化设计和优化成形的APDL高效计算程序,实现了高能束三维瞬态温度场的模拟,并用试验进行了验证.计算和试验结果表明,采取对称跳跃扫描路径及适当的热输入和冷却工艺,能有效改善零件的温度场和增强焊道的自由伸缩能力,从而有利于降低拉应力和热裂倾向.     

Particle melting, flattening, and stacking behaviors in induction plasma deposition of tungsten

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On the induction plasma deposition of tungsten metal

The central particle injection and long residence time characteristics of induction plasma have given rise to the complete melting of tungsten particles injected into an Ar- H₂ plasma under soft vacuum conditions. The influences of process variables such as power level, chamber pressure, and spray distance on splat morphology, apparent density, and deposition efficiency have been studied. Dense tungsten deposits with no oxidation have been obtained. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs reveal a well-flattened lamellar structure in deposits. Radiative cooling is observed to play a significant role in the plasma spraying of this refractory metal.     

等离子弧金属快速成型设备控制系统设计

等离子电弧的弧柱温度高于普通电弧焊的两倍,且电弧发散非常小,等离子弧焊接时热影响区非常小,所以利用其进行零件制造时的成型精度高于其他电弧快速成型方法,并且不存在激光、电子束设备造价和使用费用高的缺陷,因此利用等离子弧作为热源进行快速成型制造成为研究热点。根据金属快速成型的主要特点和工艺流程,设计了等离子弧金属快速成型设备控制系统,该控制系统的控制核心为CP1H-PLC,配备了MT8-070i H3触摸屏、OMRON MY2N-J中间继电器单元。采用该设备进行实验,在合适的工艺条件下,成型件达到设计要求,证明该控制系统工作可靠、性能稳定。分析试验结果,初步掌握等离子弧金属快速成型工艺参数。     

Controlling the oxygen contents in vacuum plasma sprayed metal alloy coatings

An approach to measure and assess the oxygen contents of vacuum plasma spraying process atmospheres is introduced. Hereby it is envisaged to monitor vacuum plasma spraying processes and to control the uptake of oxygen in metal alloy coatings. Coating experiments were performed with Ni-Co-Cr-Al alloy bondcoat powders to proof the effectiveness of this approach. Additional experimental coatings made of NiTi powders show the benefit of controlling the oxygen contents especially for metallic alloys being highly affine to oxygen.     

Al and Zn film deposition using a vacuum arc plasma source with a refractory anode

The radially expanding plasma plume generated in a Hot Refractory Anode Vacuum Arc was used to deposit thin Al and Zn films on glass substrates. The electrode separation was 10 mm, arc time varied up to 165 s, and current (I) was 100-225 A. The cathode was a water-cooled Al or Zn cylinder. A graphite anode with 9 or 30 mm height was used with the Al cathode, and 10 or 30 mm height Mo anode was used with the Zn cathode. A mechanical shutter controlled the substrate exposure onset and duration (15 s) to the anodic plasma. The distance from the arc axis to the substrate (L) was varied between 80 and 165 mm. The film thickness was measured with a profilometer, and macroparticle (MP) presence on the coating surface was examined by optical microscopy.It was found that the deposition rate increased as a function of time to a peak, and then decreased to a steady-state value. The peak occurred sooner using the 9 mm anode than with the 30 mm anode. The peak deposition rate increased and the peak time decreased with I. The steady-state deposition rate was larger for Zn (~ 2 μm/min) than for Al cathodes (~ 1 μm/min) at I = 225 A and L = 110 mm. The arc voltage for Al was ~ 20-22 V and for Zn it was 11 V. The deposition rate peak appeared due to MPs evaporating from the hot anode, where they had initially condensed during the conventional arc stage when the anode was still cold. This effect was significant with low melting temperature Al and Zn cathodes, and negligible with Cu and Ti cathodes studied previously.     

Numerical simulation of thermal behavior during laser metal deposition shaping

Based on the element life and death theory of finite element analysis（FEA）, a three-dimensional multi-track and multi-layer model for laser metal deposition shaping（LMDS） was developed with ANSYS parametric design language（APDL）, and detailed numerical simulations of temperature and thermal stress were conducted. Among those simulations, long-edge parallel reciprocating scanning method was introduced. The distribution regularities of temperature, temperature gradient, Von Mise＇s effective stress, X-directional, Y-directional and Z-directional thermal stresses were studied. LMDS experiments were carried out with nickel-based superalloy using the same process parameters as those in simulation. The measured temperatures of molten pool are in accordance with the simulated results. The crack engendering and developing regularities of samples show good agreement with the simulation results.     

阴极等离子体电解沉积Co、Cr金属涂层及Ni-Cr、Co-Cr合金涂层

采用阴极等离子体电解沉积的方法制备了Co、Cr金属涂层以及Ni-Cr、Co-Cr合金涂层,并研究了不同主盐浓度和酸浓度对涂层结构和形貌的影响。结果表明,在阴极等离子体电解沉积过程中,涂层形貌演变规律主要取决于沉积速率和等离子体电弧的作用。较低的主盐浓度和较高的酸含量可以降低沉积速率,在等离子体电弧的作用下,沉积物可以充分地快速熔融并凝固,形成均匀、致密的涂层;而在较高的主盐浓度和较低的酸含量下,由于沉积速率快,大量的沉积物无法完全被等离子体电弧熔融,所以易形成枝晶或者粉末。     

三维静态锥体热源穿孔等离子弧焊接熔池的数值模拟

采用三维静态锥体热源对穿孔等离子弧焊接过程进行数值模拟.研究了三维锥体热源作用下焊接熔池流体流场、熔池内金属的流动方式以及熔池流体运动速度的变化.并与高斯热源条件下的模拟结果做比较.最后进行PAW焊接工艺试验,通过测量尾焰信号及焊缝尺寸等判断焊接熔池特征,将理论计算结果与试验测量值进行比较.     

Optimizing the vacuum plasma spray deposition of metal,ceramic, and cermet coatings using designed experiments

The vacuum plasma spray (VPS) deposition of metal, ceramic, and cermet coatings has been investigated using designed statistical experiments. Processing conditions that were considered likely to have a significant influence on the melting characteristics of the precursor powders and hence deposition efficiency were incorporated into full and fractional factorial experimental designs. The processing of an alumina powder was very sensitive to variations in the deposition conditions, particularly the injection velocity of the powder into the plasma flame, the plasma gas composition, and the power supplied to the gun. Using a combination of full and fractional factorial experimental designs, it was possible to rapidly identify the important spraying variables and adjust these to produce a deposition efficiency approaching 80%. The deposition of a nickel-base alloy metal powder was less sensitive to processing conditions. Generally, however, a high degree of particle melting was achieved for a wide range of spray conditions. Preliminary experiments performed using a tungsten carbide/cobalt cermet powder indicated that spray efficiency was not sensitive to deposition conditions. However, microstructural analysis revealed considerable variations in the degree of tungsten carbide dissolution. The structure and properties of the optimized coatings produced in the factorial experiments are also discussed.     

Analysis of dynamic plasma behaviours in gas metal arc welding by imaging spectroscopy

For gas metal arc welding, the effect of CO₂ mixture in a shielding gas on a metal transfer process was investigated through the observation of the plasma characteristics and dynamic behaviour at the droplet’s growth-separation-transfer by the temperature measurement methods which were suitable, respectively, to the argon plasma region and the metal plasma region. At the present experimental conditions, the metal transfer process was a spray transfer type with 100%Ar shielding gas. On the other hand, with 85%Ar + 15%CO₂ shielding gas, the metal transfer process was a globular transfer type in which the arc length was shorter, the width was narrower and the time interval of the droplet separation was longer. For both shielding gases, the metal plasma region near the arc central axis exhibited 6500–7500 K, which was lower than the argon plasma region. With 85%Ar + 15%CO₂ shielding gas, when the metal droplet grew below the electrode wire, the region below the droplet has a high plasma temperature and a high concentration of iron vapour which surrounded the droplet. The region also exhibited a remarkably high electron number density. At the spray transfer process, the argon plasma region had an electron number density twice as high as the metal plasma region. Meanwhile, at the globular transfer process, the metal plasma region had a higher electron number density than the argon plasma region, which corresponded to a higher electrical conductivity near the arc axis. This means that the electric current goes through the arc axis easier than the spray transfer process. This condition increases the temperature below the droplet. The thermal expansion increases the force preventing the droplet from falling down. In consequence, the metal transfer takes the globular transfer type.     

基于有限元模拟的穿孔等离子超声电弧焊谐振频率的确定

根据穿孔等离子弧焊特点,首先利用改进型三维锥体热源模型建立准稳态条件下的三维熔池模型;然后在频率15～100kHz的范围内,对低活化马氏体钢（CLAM钢）穿孔等离子超声电弧焊接熔池模态进行分析,计算得到共14阶模态,分布于6个主要频率附近;最后分析了其中五阶模态的响应情况．结果表明,随频率增加,熔池局部的振动变形越来越剧烈,整体差异性增大．利用该方法可实现超声电弧焊接谐振频率的确定,文中也为超声电弧焊工艺优化提供了一定的参考,可缩短超声电弧工艺设计时间,降低研发费用．