Interaction behaviour of a low velocity hydrophobic micro-particle with a high-temperature melt pool based on coupling the ALE and phase field methods

Abstract

A numerical model incorporating the phase field method, the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method, the effective heat capacity model and the Navier–Stokes equations is established to solve the complex force–mass–heat coupling transport during the process of a particle impacting a high-temperature melt pool. Then, a study of the particle–melt pool interaction mechanism is carried out, the dominant factors that influence the particle capture behaviour explored, and the effects of contact angle and particle velocity on particle melting further analysed. Results show that a decaying particle oscillation phenomenon and a periodical surface meniscus structure appear during the process of a particle impacting a melt pool. As for particle melting, it is far delayed behind particle oscillation and mainly takes place at the static heat transfer stage; its heat accumulation is dominated by the particle’s mushy degree, and becomes gentle after the particle becomes totally mushy. However, the particle’s melting speed is determined by surface heating; the dominant melting factor converts to laser irradiation with increasing laser energy density; it changes to melt pool heating as the particle velocity increases and the contact angle decreases. Furthermore, when the contact angle decreases, the optimized initial velocity region broadens, and the best initial velocity gradually reduces. Highlights of the article are as follows: a single particle impacting a high-temperature melt pool model incorporating the coupling of the phase field and ALE methods is developed. Further, a dominant particle melting comparison map under various laser parameters is made. Dominant particle melting converts to melt pool heating as the initial velocity increases and the equilibrium contact angle decreases. The optimization of the initial particle velocity region broadens and the best initial velocity reduces to zero as the equilibrium contact angle decreases.

KEYWORDS:

• Particle–melt pool interaction
• ALE method
• thermodynamic evolution
• influence behaviour
• dominant factor

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The present study is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 52206086]; the Basic Research Program of Jiangsu Education Department [grant number 21KJB470002].