ABSTRAKT

This study addresses the 3-D and time-dependent modeling of the plasma spray process. The model includes the conversion from electrical to thermal energy in the plasma-forming gas, multiple particle injection and buildup of the coating on a fixed substrate. It uses two sequential sub-systems. The first deals with the fluid and particulate phases and makes it possible to predict the time-distributions of particle velocity, temperature, molten state and size prior to impact on the substrate as well as the location of particles in the spray jet. The second predicts the shape and thickness of the coating from the calculated particle parameters at impact.