Numerical simulation of powder transport behavior in laser cladding with coaxial powder feeding

Laser cladding with coaxial powder feeding is one of the new processes applied to produce well bonding coating on the component to improve performance of its surface. In the process, the clad material is transported by the carrying gas through the coaxial nozzle, generating gas-powder flow. The powder feeding process in the coaxial laser cladding has important influence on the clad qualities. A 3D numerical model was developed to study the powder stream structure of a coaxial feeding nozzle. The predicted powder stream structure was well agreed with the experimental one. The validated model was used to explore the collision behavior of particles in the coaxial nozzle, as well as powder concentration distribution. It was found that the particle diameter and restitution coefficient greatly affect the velocity vector at outlet of nozzle due to the collisions, as well as the powder stream convergence characteristics below the nozzle. The results indicated a practical approach to optimize the powder stream for the coaxial laser cladding.     

Numerical simulation of metallic powder flow in a coaxial nozzle in laser direct metal deposition

To investigate the influencing rule of deposited layer’s shape on coaxial powder feeding flow field in the metal forming process, gas–solid two-phase flow theory is used to analyze effect of deposited layers on powder concentration distribution and variation of focus distance from nozzle outlet to convergence point (the center of the convergent zone). Different height and width parameters of deposited layers were chosen to calculate the powder concentration distribution, consequently, and also their effect on additive height of single-trace cladding layer was studied by experimental investigations. The numerical results are in good agreement with experimental observations. The results indicated that additive height of cladding layer was non-uniform under uneven wall thickness of parts fabrication condition. Consequently, the surface of deposited layers with uneven thickness is not smooth, and hence affects surface forming quality.     

激光熔覆中同轴送粉气体-粉末流数值模拟

应用FLUENT软件的离散相模块建立了激光熔覆中气体 粉末流的二维模型,研究了保护气和输送气流量及送粉量对粉末流浓度场和速度场的分布规律的影响以及对粉末流发散角和焦点的影响。计算结果表明:随着输送气流量的增大,粉末流速度增加,粉末流发散角逐渐减小;送粉量增加,焦点略微下移,焦点处粉末流浓度值增大。在相同的工艺参数下,使用单反相机拍摄粉末流分布,结果表明试验与计算结果基本吻合。     

Concentration mode of the powder stream in coaxial laser cladding

The blown powder laser cladding process has recently been greatly enhanced by the development of a coaxial powder feed system. It provides a new route to generate the metal parts directly from CAD drawings. The performance of the coaxial powder feeder depends on various gas flow streams which significantly affect the distribution mode of the powder stream and the deposition rate in cladding.Two types of optical techniques have been adopted in this study to investigate the powder concentration mode of the coaxial jet streams. The mode of the powder stream is also mathematically modelled and compared to the experimental results of stainless steel powder. The Gaussian distribution mode in the transverse direction of the powder stream was identified by theory and experiment at cold stream conditions.     

激光熔覆中金属粉末粒子与激光相互作用模型

为了对同轴激光熔覆过程中运动的金属粉末粒子的速度和温度进行理论分析,并研究各工艺参量的影响,建立了运动中金属粉末粒子的运动模型和热模型.模拟结果表明,粉嘴几何尺寸、粒子直径以及气/粉两相流初始速度是影响粒子运动行为的重要因素;粉嘴几何尺寸、激光焦点位置、激光发散角、激光功率、粒子直径以及气/粉两相流初始速度是影响粒子热行为的重要因素.在相同的工艺参量下(粉嘴出口内径r=2 mm,粉嘴倾角α=60°,初始气流速度v0=0.8 m/s),基于数字粒子图像测速(DPIV)技术,对316L不锈钢粉末粒子运动模型进行了实验验证.结果表明,运动理论模型是可靠的.该模型是掌握同轴激光熔覆过程中金属粉末粒子运动行为的有效工具;同时,热模型也是分析粉末粒子温度随不同参量变化的重要工具.     

保护气对切割弧特性影响的模拟研究

通过比较两种不同结构切割炬所产生的等离子体流场,发现保护气对等离子体的温度和速度分布影响很小.垂直保护气在切割炬喷口形成阻碍作用,造成切割炬内的压强有所升高,但是增加不大.两种结构保护气对切割弧的影响只是在炬喷口外的激波附近.加入保护气后激波的强度会减弱.相对于没有保护气的情况,保护气增加冷却作用,弧电压会略有升高.当改变保护气的成分时,发现弧柱区的氧气含量不受影响,所以保护气成分的改变不会影响到弧电压.计算发现轴线处氧气和周围气体的混合很少,在喷口下游10mm处,氧气的摩尔分数仍在90%以上. 关键词： 等离子体切割弧 保护气 数值模拟     

Clad profiles in edge welding using a coaxial powder filler nozzle

The powder catchment and clad profile of the edge welding were investigated by experimental and numerical approaches in this study. The clad profile on the edges joined by a coaxial powder filler nozzle with a CO₂ laser was measured and compared with the powder concentration mode, which was confirmed by powder flow visualization and numerical computations.In the numerical simulation of an impinging jet of gas-powder flow on an edge joint, the powder concentration distributed on a V groove joined by two plates was solved by FLUENT software. Based on the Gaussian mode of the powder distribution in the jet flow, a simplified mode function was proposed to estimate the clad profiles in the edge joint.Cladding experiments were performed for mild steel substrates with thicknesses of 2 and 6 mm under 1 kWCO₂ laser irradiation for 304L stainless steel powder. The results show that the concave clad profiles were generated at large incline angles and the powder catchment efficiency might increase with the joint angle and substrate thickness.Based on the analytical results of the cold powder streams impinging on the edge joint, the similarity between the clad profile and the powder concentration in the edge joint is retained only at small incline angles for thin substrates. Due to the heating effects of laser beam spot and the powder re-distribution inside the edge joint, the deviation of the clad profile between the computation and experiment is increased with the incline angle and substrate thickness.     

Temperature analysis of the powder streams in coaxial laser cladding

The powder stream temperature of a newly developed coaxial laser cladding technique have been calculated and measured in this study. A simplified one-dimensional model of the particle heating problem under laser irradiation was solved with various conditions of laser intensity, particle size and flow velocity. The experimental results have been successfully detected by a pin-hole infrared sensor with the temperature calibration for hot particles. The thermal profiles of the coaxial nozzle give an optimum operation range of the stand-off distance for coaxial laser cladding.     

Gas protection optimization during Nd:YAG laser welding

Many laser processes, such as welding or surface treatments are associated with an undesired phenomenon, which is oxidation. The solution commonly employed to solve this problem approaches the shielding gas and/or the shielding gas device. What we propose in this paper is a methodology with the goal to optimize the protection gas device design as well as the gas flow in the case of laser welding and surface treatments. The pressure created by the gas flow on the sample surface is recorded and analysed together with the operating parameters influence in order to reach the objectives. The nozzle system designed and presented below assures the protection against material oxidation using minimal gas flow rates and increases the welding penetration in the case of high-power Nd:YAG laser welding.     

Study on cross-section clad profile in coaxial single-pass cladding with a low-power laser

In this paper, a model of cross-section clad profile on the substrate in coaxial single-pass cladding with a low-power laser was studied. The static model of powder mass concentration distribution at cold-stream conditions was defined as a Gaussian function. In coaxial single-pass cladding with a low-power laser, since the influence of surface tension, gravity and gas flow on the clad bead could be neglected, the cross-section profile of the clad bead deposited by a low-power laser on the substrate was dominated by the powder concentration at each point on the pool and the time when the material was liquid at this point. The height of each point on the cross-section clad profile was defined as a definite integration of a Gaussian function from the moment at which the melt pool was just arriving at the point to the moment at which the point left the melt pool. In the presented experiment, powder of Steel 63 (at 0.63 wt% C) was deposited on a substrate of Steel 20 (at 0.20 wt% C) at the laser power of 135 W. The experimental results testified the model.     

Effects of powder concentration distribution on fabrication of thin-wall parts in coaxial laser cladding

In this paper, model of effects of powder concentration distribution on fabrication of thin-wall parts in coaxial laser cladding was developed. There exists relationship between powder concentration distribution and power density distribution, which affects fabrication of thin-wall parts in coaxial laser cladding. Changes in powder concentration distribution lead to changes in wall thickness and wall growing rate. Fluctuation of powder feed rate deteriorates the growing wall in laser cladding. Deviation of the powder flow stream makes the powder concentration distribution, the thermal flux density and consequently the molten pool not symmetrical against the x-axis, resulting in irregular upper faces of the formed wall. This was verified by the results of experiment.     

A study of the shielding gas influence on the laser beam welding of AA5083 aluminium alloys by in-process spectroscopic investigation

In laser welding, the shielding gas is commonly used to stabilize the welding process, to improve welded joints features and to protect the welded seam against oxidization. Besides the type of shielding gas used, the nozzle parameters play an essential role. In fact, the chemical composition of the shielding gas and the flow geometry are key factors limiting the size of the plasma plume and its contamination by the surrounding atmosphere, and affecting the final quality of the welded joints.In this work, we present an experimental study on the complex physical phenomena occurring during the interaction between the plasma plume, the laser beam and the shielding gas by using an in-process spectroscopic investigation of the plasma plume characteristics under different operating conditions. A correlation was found between the spectral features and the formation of oxide layers on the surface of the welding seam, caused by defective gas shielding and by the vaporization of alloying elements. Experimental results have given useful indications for the development of innovative welding nozzle for application in laser welding of aluminium alloys.     

Computational optimization analysis of a gas-jet target in a laser-plasma short-wave radiation source

A computational method is developed for optimizing the xenon gas jet used as the target in a laserplasma short-wave radiation source. The method is based on numerical hydrodynamic simulation of the jet flowing from the nozzle into vacuum, followed by computation of the optimization criterion describing the observed intensity of plasma glow. The application of this method permits an unambiguous and objective choice of optical experimental geometries and flow conditions; as a result, the radiation yield can be increased by several times. The calculated results are compared with available experimental data.     

Solute transport and composition profile during direct metal deposition with coaxial powder injection

Direct metal deposition (DMD) with coaxial powder injection allows fabrication of three-dimensional geometry with rapidly solidified microstructure. During DMD, addition of powder leads to the interaction between laser and powder, and also the redistribution of solute. The concentration distribution of the alloying element is very important for mechanical properties of the deposited clad material. The evolution of concentration distribution of carbon and chromium in the molten pool is simulated using a self-consistent three-dimensional model, based on the solution of the equations of mass, momentum, energy conservation and solute transport in the molten pool. The experimental and calculated molten pool geometry is compared for model validation purposes.     

大气压微波等离子体射流装置放电特性研究

基于同轴传输线结构设计了两种不同喷嘴结构的大气压微波等离子体射流(MW-APPJ)装置,其工作频率2.45 GHz,工作气体为氩气,分别研究了两种不同喷嘴结构对等离子体放电特性产生的影响。仿真结果表明,MW-APPJ在气体喷嘴处会产生高强度的电场,经过优化结构,实现在频率2.45 GHz下,喷嘴处的场强满足氩气电离的击穿场强阈值要求。同时,利用多物理场耦合仿真软件对装置的气流分布进行了稳态模拟,并通过实验对比分析了两种喷嘴结构下大气压氩等离子体射流的基本特性。实验结果表明,不同的喷嘴结构会影响等离子体装置的反射系数随输入功率的变化规律,但并不影响等离子体射流长度随输入功率的变化规律和反射功率随进气流量的变化规律;同时,在大气压下,稳态微波等离子体射流呈现出类金属性,等离子体中的电子只能在很薄的区域中吸收微波能量,因而造成微波的反射功率较大。     

激光熔覆中同轴粉末流温度场的数值模拟

在激光同轴送粉熔覆中,由于激光与粉末流相互作用,粉末流整体温度分布直接影响激光熔覆的质量.基于非预混燃烧模型,将激光相处理为连续性介质,粉末颗粒相看作离散相物质,建立了激光作用下粉末流的质量、动量和能量方程.用Fluent软件进行了不同激光功率和粉末流速度条件下粉末流整体温度场数值模拟,讨论了各种参数对温度场分布的影响.为了验证该模型的准确度,利用CCD比色测温方法测量了粉末流整体温度场分布.结果表明,数值模拟与CCD检测结果具有良好的一致性,数值模拟结果对激光熔覆具有指导意义.     

Research on laser welding of high-strength galvanized automobile steel sheets

The paper presented some useful results of deep-penetration laser welding of high-strength galvanized steel sheets, which had been carried out by a self-made CO₂ laser unit with maximum power output of 1.5 kW. The workpieces of high-strength galvanized automobile steels with thickness of 1.5 mm were butt-welded with argon as the shielding gas. The effects of such factors as laser power, welding speed, focal position, shielding gas and zinc vaporization on the quality of welds are investigated. With the processing parameters optimized and the proper shielding gas used in both coaxial and side-blow direction, most of the defects, such as pores, cracks and softening in HAZ, can be avoided in laser welding joints. The microstructure, the hardness distribution and the elemental distribution in the welding joints can be changed due to laser heating and recrystallization. In order to determine the mechanical properties of the welding joints, the static tensile strength was tested. Experimental results indicated that both the strength and microhardness of welding joints were higher than those of the base metal. Consequently, the welding quality is reliable for manufacturing of automobile bodies.     

Gas puff nozzle characterization using interferometric methods andnumerical simulation

One of the source terms of Z-pinch experiments is the gas puff density profile. In order to characterize the gas puff, we have used two interferometrical methods and performed some numerical simulations. The merits of both optical techniques are presented in terms of sensitivity, accuracy, and full time recording. Hence, one technique has been chosen to characterize the gas puff. The computation fluid dynamics (CFD) code (ARES) has been used to simulate the gas flow with the aim of testing its performances. Comparing experimental and numerical data shows off the taking into account of gas viscosity in computations. Given these consistent results, the nozzle geometries can be optimized in order to obtain specific Z-pinch gas puffs and check the computation with the interferometric method. Results obtained with a cylindrical nozzle are presented herein     

Acoustic properties of heated twin jets

A thorough experimental study of the noise characteristics of twin jets is presented in this paper. Twin round jets are investigated at typical jet engine conditions: that is, with heated high velocity flow. By varying the nozzle to nozzle spacing, it is possible to discriminate between the effects of turbulent mixing and acoustic shielding. As a result of this investigation, it was established that the turbulent mixing effects (both interaction noise generation and mixing suppression) occur for closely spaced nozzles. While acoustic shielding occurs at all nozzle spacings, it plays the dominant role at wide nozzle spacings. The levels of this acoustic shielding afforded by an adjacent jet can be sufficient to cause a nearly complete masking of the noise of the shielded jet. A significant discovery of this investigation was the importance of the layer of cooler, slower moving ambient air that exists between the twin jet plumes. This inter-jet layer causes acoustic refraction and reflection, and as the nozzle separation increases, the layer extends to shield more of the jet noise sources.     

光谱方法研究大气压氩气等离子体喷枪的放电特性

利用同轴介质阻挡放电喷枪,通过氩气的流动在大气压空气中产生了均匀的等离子体羽。等离子体羽沿气流方向较为均匀,但在喷嘴处为白色且亮度较高,远离喷嘴处为蓝色,亮度较低。研究了等离子体羽长度与外加电压幅值、驱动频率和气体流速的关系,气流小于4 L·min-1时等离子羽的长度随气流的增大而增大,而当气流大于4 L·min-1时长度随气流的增大而减小。当气流保持恒定时,等离子体羽的长度随外加电压幅值或驱动频率的增大而增大。结合气体放电理论以及分析湍流和平流对放电的影响,对等离子体羽长度随实验参数的变化进行了定性解释。光学方法研究发现在外加电压正半周期等离子羽有一个发光脉冲,而负半周期没有发光信号。同轴介质阻挡放电正半周期有两个发光脉冲,负半周期有一个发光脉冲。通过对该N₂现象的分析,为等离子体羽的产生机制提供了一种可能的解释。采集了同轴介质阻挡放电和等离子体羽的发射光谱,研究发现除等离子体羽存在明显的OH和N₂的发射谱线外,其发射光谱没有明显差别。利用光学发射谱N+₂第一负带系,对等离子体羽转动温度进行了测量,发现转动温度沿远离喷嘴的方向逐渐降低,且转动温度随电压幅值的增大而增大。