A unified spray forming model for the prediction of billet shape geometry Original Research Article

In the present work a unified model for simulating the spray forming process has been developed. Models for the atomization and the deposition processes have been coupled together in order to obtain a new unified description of the spray forming process. The model is able to predict the shape and the temperatures of a spray-formed billet and takes into account the thermal coupling between the gas and the droplets, the change in droplet size distribution along the r-axis in the spray cone and the shading effect. The deposition describes the evolution of the preform with time. For this stage a novel 3D model, which allows the atomizer to be placed asymmetrically over the substrate and also includes the withdrawal of the deposit, was developed. This makes it possible to model not only the growth of a Gaussian shaped preform in which case the spray axis and the rotation axis coincide, but also the surface evolution during billet growth. For this purpose, shading must be taken into account as a core part of the surface evolution algorithm. The unified model involves coupling of three sub models for the atomization, the deposition and the shape of the billet. This coupling, which is a central part of the present work, is also described. Results from the integrated model are presented and the potential for better process understanding as well as process optimization is evident.