Experimental and Numerical Analysis of the Powder Flow in a Multi-Channel Coaxial Nozzle of a Direct Metal Deposition System

2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Piyush Pant ◽  
Dipankar Chatterjee ◽  
Sudip Kumar Samanta ◽  
Aditya Kumar Lohar
Keyword(s):  
Gas Flow ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Turbulence Models ◽  
Deposition Process ◽  
Metal Deposition ◽  
Direct Metal Deposition ◽  
Powder Flow ◽  
Coaxial Nozzle ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Blown Powder

Abstract The work explores the powder transport process, using numerical simulation to address the dynamics of the powder flow in an in-house built multi-channel coaxial nozzle of a direct metal deposition (DMD) system. The fluid turbulence is handled by the standard k–ɛ and k–ω turbulence models, and the results are compared in order to predict their suitability. An image-based technique using CMOS camera is adopted to determine the powder flow characteristics. The model is validated with the in-house experimental results and verified available results in the literature. The findings of this work confirms the application of the k–ω model for powder gas flow investigations in blown powder additive manufacturing (AM) processes due to its better predictive capability. The proposed model will assist in simulating the direct metal deposition process.

The Investigation of Gravity-Driven Metal Powder Flow in Coaxial Nozzle for Laser-Aided Direct Metal Deposition Process

2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 541-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng Pan ◽  
Todd Sparks ◽  
Yogesh D. Thakar ◽  
Frank Liou
Keyword(s):  
Gas Flow ◽  
Particle Concentration ◽  
Metal Deposition ◽  
Direct Metal Deposition ◽  
Powder Flow ◽  
Shielding Gas ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Coaxial Nozzle ◽  
Gravity Driven ◽  
Nozzle Geometries

The quality and efficiency of laser-aided direct metal deposition largely depends on the powder stream structure below the nozzle. Numerical modeling of the powder concentration distribution is complex due to the complex phenomena involved in the two-phase turbulence flow. In this paper, the gravity-driven powder flow is studied along with powder properties, nozzle geometries, and shielding gas settings. A 3-D numerical model is introduced to quantitatively predict the powder stream concentration variation in order to facilitate coaxial nozzle design optimizations. Effects of outer shielding gas directions, inner/outer shielding gas flow rate, powder passage directions, and opening width on the structure of the powder stream are systematically studied. An experimental setup is designed to quantitatively measure the particle concentration directly for this process. The numerical simulation results are compared with the experimental data using prototyped coaxial nozzles. The results are found to match and then validate the simulation. This study shows that the particle concentration mode is influenced significantly by nozzle geometries and gas settings.

The development of temperature fields and powder flow during laser direct metal deposition wall growth

2004 ◽  
Vol 218 (5) ◽  
pp. 531-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
A J Pinkerton ◽  
L Li
Keyword(s):  
Flow Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Metal Deposition ◽  
Direct Metal Deposition ◽  
Temperature Fields ◽  
Powder Flow ◽  
Powder Concentration ◽  
Melt Pool ◽  
Temperature Distributions

The additive manufacturing technique of laser direct metal deposition (DMD) has had an impact in rapid prototyping, tooling and small-volume manufacturing applications. Components are built from metallic materials that are deposited by the continuous injection of powder into a moving melt pool, created by a defocused laser beam. The size of the melt pool, the temperature distributions around it and the powder flux are critical in determining process characteristics such as deposition rate. In this paper, the effects that changes in the distance between the laser deposition head and the melt pool have on these factors as a part is built using a coaxial powder feeding system are considered via a two-part analytical model. A heat flow model considers three-dimensional temperature distributions due to a moving Gaussian heat source in a finite volume and a simple mass-flow model considers changes in powder concentration with distance from the deposition head. The model demonstrates the effect of adjusting the melt pool standoff in different ways on melt pool and powder flow characteristics as a DMD structure is built, and hence allows the effect on build rate to be predicted. Its validity is verified by comparison with a series of 316L stainless steel walls, built using different standoff adjustment methods. The model is found to be able to explain the dimensional characteristics found.

Effect of Powder Flow Rate and Gas Flow Rate on the Evolving Properties of Deposited Ti6Al4V/Cu Composites

2014 ◽  
Vol 1016 ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mutiu F. Erinosho ◽  
Esther Titilayo Akinlabi ◽  
Sisa Pityana
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Pure Copper ◽  
Metal Deposition ◽  
Powder Flow ◽  
Laser Metal Deposition ◽  
Gas Flow Rate ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Powder Flow Rate ◽  
Hardness Values

—Pure copper was deposited with Ti6Al4V alloy via laser metal deposition (LMD) process to produce Ti6Al4V/Cu composites. This paper reports the effect of powder flow rate (PFR) and gas flow rate (GFR) of laser metal deposited Ti6Al4V/Cu composites. The deposited samples were characterised through the evolving microstructure and microhardness. It was observed that the PFR and GFR have an influence on the percentage of porosity present in the samples. The higher the flow rates of the powder and the gas, the higher the degree of porosity and vice versa. The widmanstettan structures were observed to be finer as the flow rate reduces which in turn causes a decrease in the hardness values of the deposited composites. The hardness values varied between HV381.3 ± 60 and HV447.3 ± 49.

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