Parametric study of multi-splat solidification/remelting including contact resistance effects

Solidification and remelting behavior of a series of deposited splats is investigated through numerical modeling. The non-perfect thermal contact at the interface between the splat and the substrate surface is accounted for by introducing a heat transfer coefficient. The effect of the interfacial thermal contact resistance as well as the effect of splat solidification parameters such as splat superheats, splat thickness, substrate temperature and splat deposition frequency on the resulting remelting depth of the previously solidified layer are discussed. Numerical results show that in the absence of thermal contact resistance between the splat and substrate interface, the remelting depth is underestimated. It is also found that the remelting depth increases for either an increase in substrate temperature or increasing splat thickness. In addition, the findings in the present study imply that in some practical applications, decreasing the deposit frequency would be a valid method to ensure the constant remelting thickness for depositing layers.