Mechanics of droplet flow/solidification and film deformation/fracture

Abstract

In industrial applications, the coatings of materials are an important consideration, particularly the fracture and elastic-plastic mechanics of coating materials. This is an area of focus for researchers in the Inoue Sakaguchi Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, where Associate Professor Motoki Sakaguchi and the team are investigating the stress and strain evolution during the solidification and adhesion process of coating materials. They are doing this by conducting model experiments using paraffin wax, which is enabling them to investigate the individual effects of different experimental variables, including droplet materials, droplet temperature, droplet kinetic energy, substrate temperature and substrate roughness. In a current project, Sakaguchi is exploring the fundamental processes involved in residual stress development in thermal barrier coatings during thermal spray procedures. For this, he and the team have developed a model experiment that allows them to simplify the thermal spray using a paraffin wax with a low melting point and, in doing so, the researchers can monitor and precisely record the deposition process of each splat in the thermal spray. Sakaguchi hopes the research will help improve thermal spray technology and, ultimately, lead to improved, longer-lasting components and equipment in industrial products.