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.