Abstract
Liquid cold spray (LCS) is an innovative technique for applying coatings, restoring parts, and enabling cost-effective, high-volume solid-state additive manufacturing. This method uses high-speed superheated liquids, which possess much greater density than the typical gases used in conventional cold spray (CS) systems, in order to propel much coarser solid particles (60-250 µm). The process involves pressurized water, ranging between 300 and 500 MPa, passing through a high-pressure tube and reaching temperatures of approximately 200-400 °C. Subsequently, this heated water is directed through an orifice into a mixing chamber. Within the chamber, rapid depressurization leads to flash boiling, causing some of the water to evaporate. Solid particles are then injected into the chamber. This chamber is connected to a converging nozzle, which accelerates the three-phase flow toward the substrate. The present study uses a Eulerian–Lagrangian approach to investigate the impact of liquid temperature on the behavior of steam, water, and solid particles both inside and outside the nozzle. The Lee's evaporation–condensation model and the Re-Normalization Group (RNG) k-epsilon turbulence model handle the water-steam flow, while particle's behavior is modeled considering drag force and heat transfer from the mixture. Different values for mass transfer relaxation coefficients are tested to find the most relevant one for the LCS process. The particle velocity obtained from numerical simulations is compared and validated against the experimental results, as it plays a crucial role in the formation of coatings.Details
| Publication | Journal of Thermal Spray Technology, Volume 34, Issue 7, pp. 2720-2739 |
| Publication Date | October 2025 |
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| Bibcode | 2025JTST...34.2720J |
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