HEAT TRANSFER BEHAVIOR OF SUPERALLOY DROPLETS DURING SPRAY FORMING

Based on the Newtonian heat transfer formulation and classical heterogeneous nucleation theory, a mathematical model has been established to predict the profile of flight velocity, heat transfer coefficient, temperature, solid fraction and cooling rate of atomizing droplets for a superalloy. The results indicated that above parameters change with different droplet size and flight distance. The changing trend as well as the mechanism for the change are described and discussed.

Production of high strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys by spray forming process

High strength Al Zn Mg Cu alloys were produced by spray forming process, and compacted by hot extrusion. The results show that the as deposited billets have fine grained microstructure and low porosity. After heat treatment, mechanical properties increase greatly: tensile strength up to 754 MPa, yield strength up to 722 MPa, fracture elongation up to 8%, and elastic modulus up to 72 GPa, respectively. [

Shape-predicted model of spray forming rod under scanning atomization

A model for simulating the spray forming process with scanning atomizer was developed.Models for the scanning atomization and the deposition processes were coupled together in order to obtain a new description of the spray forming process.The model,which is able to predict the shape of a spray-formed billet prepared with scanning atomizer,was established after analyzing the changes in droplet size and density distribution along the r-axis in the spray cone in scanning atomization.The effects of the two kinds of atomization were compared,showing that the scanning atomization is good for deposition.

Modeling and Simulation of the Microstructure Evolution of the Gas-atomized Alloy Droplets during Spray Forming

In order to understand the solidification process of an atomized droplet and predict the fraction solidification of droplets with flight distance during spray forming, a numerical model based on the population dynamics approach is developed to describe the microstructure evolution under the common action of the nucleation and growth of grains. The model is coupled with droplets heat transfer controlling equations and solved for AI-4.5 wt pct Cu alloy. It is demonstrated that the numerical results describe the solidification process well.

Experimental and mathematical modeling of metal spray forming process

The metal spray forming process was examined using mathematical simulation and verified through the prototyping evaluation at Baosteel＇ s test and development facilities. The mathematical model comprised of four sections, including jet gas flow in the deposition chamber;single droplet behavior along its trajectory path;probability and statistical analysis of droplet mass behavior, and forecast of the shape and temperature distribution of the billet during the spray forming process.

Spray forming and mechanical properties of a new type powder metallurgy superalloy

The deposited billet of a new type powder metallurgy （PM） superalloy FGH4095M for use in turbine disk manufac- turing has been fabricated using spray forming technology. The metallurgical quality of the deposited billet was analyzed in terms of density, texture, and grain size. Comparative research was done on the microstructure and mechanical properties between the flat disk preform prepared with hot isostatic pressing （HIP） and the same alloy forgings prepared with HIP followed by isothermal forging （IF）. The results show that the density of the spray-formed and nitrogen-atomized deposit billet is above 99% of the theoretical density, indicating a compact structure. The grains are uniform and fine. The billet has weak texture with a random distribution in the spray deposition direction and perpendicular to the direction of deposition. A part of atomizing nitrogen exists in the preform in the form of carbonitride. Nitrogen-induced microporosity causes the density reduction of the preform. Compared with the process of HIP＋IF, the superalloy FGH4095M after HIP has better mechanical properties at both room temperature and high temperature. The sizes of the 7~ phase are finer in microstructure of the preform after HIP in comparison with the forgings after HIP＋IE This work shows that SF＋HIP is a viable processing route for FGH4095M as a turbine-disk material.

High Speed Steel and WC Particle-Reinforced Composites Produce by Spray Forming

The process of spray forming utilized to fabricate WC particle-reinforced high speed steel composites has been studied. In addition, microstructures and mechanical properties of M2 high speed steel and its composites made by spray forming have been analyzed. The results show that the primary carbides of high speed steel are of two types: MC and MbC. With the increase in flight distance, the morphology of the primary carbides varies from fine fish-bone-like to islandlike and both bending strength and hardness increase. With the increase in volume fraction of WC reinforcement particles,hardness of the composites increases considerably, but bending strength, however, appears to be a decreasing tendency.

Plasma Spray Forming

In the course of plasma spray, the plasma jet is comprehensively functioned by such effects as thermal pinch, magnetic pinch and mechanical compression and the flow is jetting at a high speed, the energy is concentrated and its center temperature is so high as to reach upwards of 15 000 ℃ which is capable of melting various kinds of materials inclusive of ceramic, it has a broad applied prospects in the fields of automobile, electronics, telecommunications, medical treatment, air navigation & space navigation and light industries etc because of being able to rapid fabricate thin-walled metals, ceramics and alloy parts thereof, metal moulds, functionally gradient material moulds and so on, and it has become a research spotlight for the scholars. The technology of plasma spray forming (PSF) is introduced, and the two different kinds of technique presented in this paper are studied. Some typical links in the course of technical process is also analyzed, including original prototype fabrication and surface treatment, post-treatment of formed workpiece and demoulding methods. When spraying, it should select the appropriate making methods of prototype according to the dimensions, shapes and forming accuracy as required by the formed parts. At the same time, it should be paid to the characteristic of the material for the prototype. The main purpose of surface treatment of the prototype is to raise the quality of formed parts and ensure the integrity demoulding of the coating. The method of the prototype’s surface treatment is closely related to the demoulding method, which is mainly comprised of destructive demoulding, non-destructive demoulding and composite demoulding, and is key technology in PSF. In order to eliminate these intrinsic defects and improve its performance, the fabricated parts can be given the necessary post-treatment so as to further raise the mechanical strength and surface quality. There are many methods for the post-treatment such as chemical reinforcment, metal melt-infiltration, laser-melting and self-propagating high-temperature synthesis, etc., all these methods can decrease the porosity and raise the quality of coating and service performance; whereas the finishing machining can improve the surface roughness of spray formed parts. In the course of spray forming, affected by such complex and complicated factors as electric field, the entangled ambient gas and introduced powder, as a result, it shall induce the instability of the spray condition and affect the forming quality. This paper has, on the basis of large quantity of experiments, analyzed every links in the course of PSF, summarized and evaluated the main factors affecting on the quality of formed parts, such as prototype characteristic, characteristic of plasma jet, powder characteristic, spray gun and spray parameters. The experiments prove that the process of PSF is simple and the cost is lower in rapid tooling with complex and complicated fine patterns, and PSF is apt to form special-shape and thin-walled parts made of some protective materials so as to protect those fragile workpieces. Therefore PSF is a new technology with broad and brilliant prospects of development.

Numerical simulation of tube profile growth during spray forming process

Spray forming is a new type of metal material forming process,which can produce metal blanks such as billet, tube,plate etc. A mathematical model has been developed to forecast the shape evolution of tube billets during the spray forming process. The atomizer mass flux as ,radial distribution coefficient bs, draw velocity and diameter of mandrel were considered in this model and the influence of different parameters such as metal flowrate, draw velocity of mandrel, diameter of mandrel on the tube＇ s shape change were simulated and analyzed in this paper. The simulation results obtained from this model can be provided to engineers as reference.

A study on mathematical simulation of spray forming process

An integrated approach for modeling the entire spray forming process is presented in this paper, and the program for the simulation is developed. The whole spray forming process can be divided into four calculation processes and the basis for the analysis is the classical k -ε turbulence model which was used to simulate the flow field of gas formed in the chamber. In the atomization model the flow field of gas is coupled with formation, velocity and location of droplet. By means of the above mathematical model, the process of spray forming was simulated.

The numerical simulation of the movements and thermal states of atomized metal droplets in the spray forming process

Numerical simulation was performed in an atomizing chamber to investigate the movements and thermal states of the atomized metal droplets in the spray forming process. The velocity, temperature and solid fractions of metal droplets with different diameters and under different atomizing pressures were investigated. The results indicate that a higher atomizing pressure results in the increased flying velocity of the metal droplets and a decrease in the cone-shaped angle formed by their flight paths. Synchronously, the cooling of the metal droplets is accelerated and the time of the complete solidification process is shortened. Under the same atomization pressure, large metal droplets have a lower flying speed and a lower rate of temperature decrease in the atomizing chamber than small metal droplets. In addition, metal droplets flying along the edge of the atomizing region cool faster than those flying in the core region.

Metal Spray Forming Process Examined Using Mathematical Model

The metal spray forming process was examined using the mathematical model simulation by Baosteel＇s test and developed facilities.The mathematical model comprised of the probability and statistical analysis of the droplet mass behavior and predicted the shape and temperature distribution of the billet during the spray forming process.

Microstructure and Properties of 7075Al Alloy Fabricated by Directly Combined of Spray Forming and Continuous Extrusion Forming under Different Atomization Gas Pressures

A new process consisting of the spray forming and the continuous extrusion forming for manufacturing 7075A1 alloy was proposed. The microstructure evolution, mechanical properties and the resistance to stress corrosion cracking of the alloy were studied. The results indicate that the spray forming process induces obviously grain refinement and greatly lower segregation microstructure. Besides, the Conform process produces finer grains and conduces to more uniform distribution of the precipitates of A1Cu and MgZn2 phases. The fabricated alloy shows good comprehensive mechanical properties and superb performance of stress corrosion resistance. Moreover, a better combination of the mechanical properties and the resistance to stress corrosion cracking could then be obtained under a certain condition of atomization gas pressure of 0.19 MPa. The enhanced properties are attributed to the following factors, which include the grain refinement, the fine and homogeneous distribution of A1Cu and MgZn2 phases, the high density of the extruded products, as well as the discontinuous distribution of the grain boundaries after retrogression and reaging （RRA） heat treatment.

Microstructure and forming characteristics of spray-formed M42 high speed steel

M42 high speed steel （HSS）, a high grade alloy, was produced using the spray forming technology. Optical metallography （OM）,X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscope （SEM） were used to investigate the microstructures of the as-sprayed M42 HSS and the as-atomized powders. It is found that as-sprayed M42 HSS is composed of martensite, retained austenite and carbides. The grain size, as well as the morphology, size and distribution of the carbides have been greatly improved compared with those of the as-cast M42 steel （ a traditional process）. The size of the powder obtained at a high cold speed was ranged from 50 μm to 100μm in diameter. Its representative microstructures include dendrite, dendritic fragments, a mixture of dendrites, equiaxed grains and dendritic fragments,and equiaxed grains. The rapid solidification in the spray forming is a key factor to cause the refinement of the M42 HSS.

High speed steel produced by spray forming

In this paper, ASP2030 （A30） high speed steel （HSS） was produced by spray forming and the microstructure was studied by optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission elec- tron microscopy （TEM）, electron probe microanalysis （EPMA） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The spray formed A30 （SF A30） steel exhibited a very uniform and fine microstructure consisting of martensite, retained austenite and uniformly distributed network carbides. Microstructure refining can be explained in terms of the rapid solidification of spray forming. M2C, MC and M6C type carbides were found in the as-sprayed A30 HSS by XRD and TEM. A uniform distribution of carbides was obtained after forging and annealing. The microstructure properties of SF A30 steel indicate that spray forming can be considered as a cost-effective route for the production of A30 steels and other highly alloyed steels.

Microstructure evolution and phase transformation of traditional cast and spray-formed hypereutectic aluminium-silicon alloys induced by heat treatment

Microstructural evolution and phase transformation induced by different heat treatments of the hypereutectic aluminium-silicon alloy, Al-25Si-5Fe-3Cu （wt%, signed as 3C）, fabricated by traditional cast （TC） and spray forming （SF） processes, were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results show that A17Cu2Fe phase can be formed and transformed in TC- and SF-3C alloys between 802-813 K and 800-815 K, respectively. The transformation from β-Al5FeSi to δ-Al4FeSi2 phase via peritectic reaction can occur at around 858-870 K and 876-890 K in TC- and SF-3C alloys, respectively. The starting precipitation temperature of δ-Al4FeSi2 phase as the dominant Fe-bearing phase in the TC-3C alloy is 997 K and the exothermic peak about the peritectic transformation of δ-Al4FeSi2→β-Al5FeSi is not detected in the present DSC experiments. Also, the mechanisms of the microstructural evolution and phase transformation are discussed.

MICROSTRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SPRAY FORMED HIGH SPEED STEEL FOR WORK ROLL

The mechanical properties and microstructure characteristics of a high speed steel (HSS) for roll has been studied. As compared with the as-cast HSS, the spray-formed HSS have fine grain and segregation free microstructures. Carbides distribute uniformly. The morphology and types of the carbides in spray-formed HSS are different from those in as-cast HSS. The results of the high temperature tensile experiment show that, as to spray-formed HSS, there is a possibility of superplastic deformation in the range of 780-810℃.

Isothermal grain growth of reactive spray formed 7075 alloys in semi-solid state

The grain growth behavior in reactive spray formed 7075+2.91 vol percent TiCAl alloy was studied and compared with that of spray formed 7075 Al alloy at semi-solid state. Theeffects of in-situ TiC particles on the microstructure of spray formed 7075 Al alloy were alsoinvestigated. The specimens were heat-treated isothermally at various temperatures between thesolidus and liquidus of 7075 Al alloy for times in the range of 10-60 min, then quenched in water.The microstructure of reheated specimens was characterized using scanning electron microscopy andoptical microscopy. The grain size was measured using a mean linear intercept method. Results showthat the in-situ TiC particles can effectively retard grain growth and refine the grain at a limitedsize. The grain growth exponent in Arrhenius equation increases from 2 to 3, which indicates thatthe in-situ TiC particles have the significant pinning effect on grain coarsening in the semi-solidstate.

Microstructural evolution of spray-formed Al-11.5Zn-2.0Mg-1.6Cu alloy during hot-extrusion and heat-treatment

Al-11.5Zn-2.0Mg-1.6Cu alloy was synthesized by spray forming(SF)technique followed by hot extrusion and heat-treatment.Its microstructural evolution was investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM)with energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)in the whole process.The curve of hardness as a function of aging time was obtained at 120℃.Test results indicate that the grain morphology is equiaxed and uniform in the central region of the spray-formed billet,but fine and irregular in the bottom and top regions.Both the grain boundary and the intragranular phases are identified as MgZn_(2) intermetallics.Hot extrusion promotes the refinement of the microstructure.Grain boundary phase disappears,meanwhile,η-phase(MgZn_(2))and Al_(3)Zr particles precipitate from the matrix after extrusion.The alloy reaches its maximum hardness after being aged at 120℃for 14 h,associated with a massive precipitation of intermediateη′-phase (MgZn)in the matrix.