Mathematical Modeling and

Simulation of HVOF process

Team ID - M33
Submitted By-

Project Guide – Prof. D. K. Patel

1) What is Thermal Spray Coating?

 Thermal spraying is a general term to describe all methods in which the coating is formed from
melted or semi-melted droplets. In thermal spraying the material is in the form of powder, wire or
rod and is fed into the flame produced by a spray gun, where it melts and the formed droplets are
accelerated towards the substrate to be coated. The molten coating material droplets are deposited on
the surface of the substrate without melting it. Due to this, there is no change in chemical
composition of the substrate.
 The coating materials (metallic, ceramic, cermet, and some polymeric) in the form of powder, wire,
or rod fed to a heating zone to become molten, and is propelled from there to the surface of substrate
material.
 Advantages-
1. High production rate and adhesion strength
2. Low cost, versatility, high processing speed
3. Imparts resistance to erosion, corrosion, wear, and cavitation.
4. Except this it provide lubricity, sacrificial wear, electrical
conductivity, low or high friction and chemical resistance.
5. Operating over a broad range of temperature, velocity, and
atmospheric conditions Figure 1.1 Thermal Spray Coating Process
2) Classification of Thermal spray processes.

Figure 2.1 Temp vs Velocity

Comparison of Thermal spray processes.

Figure 2.2 Classification of Thermal spray processes

3) Comparison of HVOF and VPS coatings

 The cost of using HVOF is lower than

VPS.
 VPS must be run in a vacuum, but
HVOF can be run at atmospheric
conditions.
 A real-time control feature such as
particle or substrate pyrometry is not
available or very difficult to implement
in vacuum situations but is easily
adaptable to HVOF.
 The HVOF process is relatively simple,
and thus enhances coating
reproducibility.

Figure 3.1 Bar Graph of HVOF vs VPS

4) What is HVOF process?
 HVOF process is a relatively recent thermal spray processes invented in the early 1980s by
Browning and Witfield, while using rocket engine technologies.
 In this process, the fuel and oxygen (O2) are introduced to the combustion chamber
simultaneously with the spray powder. The high temperature and pressure produced in the
chamber due to the combustion of the gases, which causes the very high velocity flow of the
gases through the nozzle. The flame temperature changes from 2500 °C to 3200 °C, depending on
the fuel, the fuel gas/ oxygen ratio and the gas pressure. In the HVOF process the powder
particles melt entirely or only partially, depending on the flame temperature, particle dwell time,
melting point and thermal conductivity of the material.

Figure 4.1 HVOF coating process animation

 There are two types of HVOF processes;
1. The Detonation Gun HVOF system and
2. The Continuous combustion
 The original high velocity spray technology was the pulsed deposition detonation gun (D-gun) developed by Union
Carbide (later Praxair) in which combustion is maintained by a timed spark, used to detonate the particle and gas
mixture. The quality of the wear and erosion resistant spray coatings produced by this method was much better than
the lower speed methods, and continuous flame HVOF was developed as a competitive response. Nowadays in
industry continuous combustion HVOF is dominant.
 The hvof gun consists of three sections: a mixing zone, combustion zone and the nozzle. During operation the body is
cooledwhere
zone by air or
a water.
pilot The fuelorandexternal
flame oxygen are mixedinitiates
igniter by means of co-axial jets and guided to the combustion
combustion. During combustion the gas is allowed to expand
in the nozzle, where it is accelerated.
 The powder is accelerated by the carrier gas and injected into
the flame. The powder has the same direction of flow as the
direction of the surrounding expanded gas. On entering the
combustion zone through the nozzle the powder particles are
heated and are further accelerated. Due to the high velocity
and high impact of the sprayed powder, the coating produced
is less porous and has higher bond strength than that produced
by other methods

Figure 4.2 HVOF gun

5) Advantages of HVOF process

1. Higher density (lower porosity < 1%) due to greater particle impact velocities
2. Higher bond strength (>80 Mpa) to the underlying substrate and improved cohesive strength
within the coating due to improved particle bonding
3. Lower oxide content due to less in-flight exposure time
4. Smoother as-sprayed surface due to higher impact velocities and smaller powder sizes
5. Better wear resistance due to harder, tougher coatings
6. Higher hardness due to less degradation of carbide phases (up to 1400 HV Dense)
7. Improved corrosion protection due to less porosity
8. Thicker coating due to less residual stresses
9. Lower cost compared to other thermal spray methods.
10. Wide range of coating materials – there is a vast array of different materials which can be turned into
high quality coatings via HVOF. These can include; metal, alloy, ceramic, plastic and polymer
11. Extends the lifespan of the substrate – a strong and efficient HVOF coating will extend the lifespan of
that substrate by providing an effective barrier against erosion, decomposition and other forms of
surface damage.
12. Quick to apply
13. Low environmental impact compared to electroplating processes.
14. Enabling components to operate in higher/lower temperatures and within harsh chemical
environments.
6) Limitations of HVOF process

1. HVOF sprayed coatings can be extremely complex, with their properties and microstructure
depending upon numerous processing variables.
2. Powder sizes are restricted to a range of about 5 - 60µm
3. HVOF spraying requires experienced, qualified personnel to ensure safe operation and to
achieve consistent coating quality.
4. As with all the thermal spraying processes, particular health and safety issues should be
addressed. HVOF spraying usually needs to be undertaken in a specialized thermal spray booth,
with suitable sound attenuation and dust extraction facilities.
5. HVOF equipment requires more investment than other thermal spraying processes, for example
flame and arc spraying.
6. Manual operation of an HVOF spray gun is not recommended and automated manipulation of the
gun is usually needed.
7. Deposition of coatings is difficult or impossible to achieve on to internal surfaces of small
cylindrical components, or other restricted access surfaces, because HVOF spraying needs line of
sight to the surface and a spray distance of 150-300 mm.
7) Bonding mechanism in HVOF coating
 Mechanical interlocking, as illustrated in Fig., has been
viewed historically as the main mechanism of HVOF
coating adhesion. Mechanical interlocking can play a part
in coating adhesion and cohesion when the surfaces being
coated have features that allow molten material to flow
into and fill negative relief. In this case, the bond between
the impacting particles and the surface is established
largely through the impact of particles that flow and
solidify around the substrate surface asperities. Substrate
asperities with negative relief can be formed prior to
coating by grit blasting. Figure 7.1 Mechanical Interlocking
 The physical bonding of spray particles to the mild steel substrate is a main factor which
contributes to the high adhesion strength of HVOF coatings besides mechanical
interlocking effect. The physical bonding is resulted from the high impact pressure of the
solid particles in the liquid solid two-phase particles owing to the high impact velocities
during the HVOF spraying process. Meanwhile the liquid fraction surrounding solid
particles is pressed into close contact with the substrate surface under the action of
substantial impact pressure of solid particle. As a result, the Van der Waals force as one of
the physical bonds between the atoms in the spray particle and these in the surface of
substrate will occur.
 Oxides, dirt, and/or oils on the substrate usually interfere with splat formation and will reduce or prevent local
bonding. The degree of coating bonding determines its reliability under mechanical or thermal loading. Hence,
surface preparation, cleaning, and roughening are very important steps prior to thermal spraying. Coating bonding
continues to be one of the largest sources of coating failure.
 “Splat” is the term given to a single impacted droplet/particle, Splats are created when the accelerated, molten
particles impact a prepared surface. The arriving molten droplets are generally spherical, and on impact with the
substrate surface they spread over and fill the underlying interstices (spaces). The droplets become flattened, disk
like structures which, when polished in cross section, look like the coating microstructures shown in Fig.
 Factors which affect bond strength are
1. Cleanliness,
2. Surface Roughness,
3. Surface topography or profile,
4. Temperature (thermal energy),
5. Time (reaction rates & cooling rates),
6. Velocity (kinetic energy),
7. Residual stresses within the coating and coating powder geometry
8. High density of non-melting phases in a solid–liquid two-phase
droplet is required to ensure high bond strength Figure 7.1 HVOF microstructure showing
common features
8) Application of HVOF coating
 Common applications for HVOF coatings include:
1. Wear and corrosion protection, e.g. subsea pump internals, impeller
wear rings, valve plugs and seats (WC-Co, WC-CoCr, WC-NiCr
coatings), slurry pump internals, extruder dies and tips, valve balls
and seats, wire drawing equipment, butterfly valve discs, rock drill
internals and cutting surfaces, compressor blades, compressor stator Figure 8.1 Dielectric coatings
vanes, bearing housings, glass plungers (NiCrSiB coatings), Corona applied by HVOF spraying for
rolls and Anilox rolls (alumina and chromia coatings)(hard chrome the micro-electronics sector
replacement).
 Other, less common applications include:
1. Medical, e.g. biocompatible hydroxyapatite coatings on orthopaedic
and dental implants.
2. Electronics, e.g. dielectric coatings for electrical insulation in power
hybrid circuits and heating elements.
3. Spray forming e.g. manufacture of thin walled hollow cylindrical
objects from pre-shaped cores by spraying of WC/Co, NiCr alloy and
stainless steel. Figure 8.2 Printing rolls coated with
alumina by HVOF spraying
9) Relationship between spraying
distance and coating thickness
 We made a model in MATLAB showing how stand of distance (one of parameter of
HVOF coating process) affects the thickness of coating.
 The coating thickness at any point on a component is determined by the simple
equation:
 dT = R.dt (1)
 where dT(cm) is the deposit thickness, R(cm/s) is the deposit rate of the thermal-
sprayed powder and dt(s) is the time. The deposit rate of the powder, R(cm/sec), can
be approximated using an idealized Gaussian function:

 where A(cm/sec) and c(cm) are the amplitude and standard deviation of the Gauss
distribution function, respectively; and p(cm) is the distance in the plane of the
substrate from the point at which the gun is aimed to the point at which the thickness
is being calculated.
 After coading this equation in MATLAB we get the following graph:

 Fig. Printing rolls coated with alumina by HVOF spraying

Figure 9.1 Spraying Distance vs Coating Thickness

 Here we can observe that as spraying distance is reduced from 30 cm thickness increases from 0.5 cm
up to 2.5 cm at optimum spraying distance 15 cm and after which it reduces.
10) Temperature, Pressure and Velocity contours of HVOF gun
 We did analysis in ansys to see how temperature, pressure and velocity changes inside
HVOF gun from Combustion chamber to barrel of gun.
 We took the data for dimension and boundary condition from previously done reaserch.
 Geometric Parameters:
1. Combustion chamber length = 92 mm
2. Combustion chamber diameter = 37.8 mm
3. Convergent-divergent nozzle length = 29 mm
4. Convergent-divergent nozzle throat diameter = 7.9 mm
5. Barrel length = 203 mm
6. Barrel diameter = 11.1mm

Figure 10.1 Geometry of HVOF gun

 Boundary conditions:
1. Inlet Temperature of fuel mixture = 300 K
2. Inlet mass flow rate = 0.018 kg/s
3. Axisymmetric boundary condition
4. Wall surface Temperature = 350K
5. Outlet Temperature = 300 K
6. Outlet Pressure = 101325 Pa
7. Properties of metal (steel) powder
A. Density (kg/m3) = 8030
B. Specific heat (J/kg.K) = 502.48
C. Thermal conductivity (W/m.K) = 16.27
Figure 10.2 Static Pressure contour of HVOF gun
Figure 10.3 Velocity magnitude contour of HVOF gun
Figure 10.4 Static Temperature contour of HVOF gun
11) What is DoE (Design of Experiment)

 DOE is a planned set of tests on the response variables with one or more inputs/factors
each a two or more settings/levels which will
• Determine if any factor or combination of factors is significant
• Define prediction equations
• Allow efficient optimization
 DOE Objectives
• Learning the most from as few runs as possible, efficiency is the objective of DOE
• Identifying which factors affects response/outcome the most
• Screening a large number of factors down to the vital few
• Modelling the process with a prediction equation
• Optimizing the factors levels for desired response
• Validating the result through confirmation
12) Steps of DOE

1. Define project, setup team and state the objective – To find how parameters affects coating
thickness in HVOF process
2. Establish Control Factors and levels (Stand of distance, disc RPM, Fuel pressure and Gun
Velocity are four factors and each have 3 levels)
3. Select response variable and measurement method(Coating thickness is selected as response
variable)
4. Choose experiment design (Taguchi method with L09 orthogonal array 4*3)
5. Conduct the experiment ( Coating is done by HVOF process on 9 specimens)
6. Analyse the data to determine optimum levels for control factors and predict performance
under these levels
12) Coating Powder and its
Specification
 The powder we used for coating is:
N611 HV2 (LSN Diffusion ltd.) NICrBSiMoCu
 This is powder is mainly used in industry for its corrosive resistance properties. It is
resistant to corrosion when exposed to certain acids and aqueous media.
 Chemical Composition of Coating Powder
Base metal – Ni,
Hardness - 57-62 HRC
Figure 12.1 LSN Diffusion N611
HV2 Powder
13) Process parameters and specifications
 Material of the specimen – Mild steel
 Number of specimen- 9
 Number of passes - 8
 Size- diameter 31 mm, length 100 mm
 Experiment by Taguchi Method, Orthogonal Array L9(3*4)
 Number of Factors- 4
 Number of levels- 3

Values of other parameters

1. Lathe spindle rpm- 370
2. Oxygen pressure – 10 bar
3. Air pressure- between 6 to 7 bar
4. Fuel (LPG) flow rate – 60 to 65 lpm
5. Oxygen flow rate – 270 to 290 rpm
6. Air cooled system, when temperature goes above 200 C, measured
by pyrometer
7. Carrier gas (Nitrogen) supply pressure- 6 to 6.5 bar
8. Carrier gas flow rate – 16 to 18 SCFH, standard cubic feet per hour
(7.52 to 8.46 lpm)
9. Powder spray rate- 38 gm/min for 3.06 disc rpm
10. Coating thickness per pass- 25 micron minimum
 Blasting
• Cleaning method- Water cleaning, steam cleaning, hydrocarbon cleaning for
removing oil and dust particles
 Abrasive blasting
• Grit type and size- fused alumina ABR F20
• Pressure pot blasting pressure- 5 to 5.5 bar
• Blasting nozzle – converging- diverging
• Nozzle work distance- 5’’ to 6’’
• Blasting nozzle work angle- 70 degrees
• Spray distance- 20 cm
 HVOF type and model- Hypojet MP 2100
 Powder feed type and model- PF 700
 HVOF system – DS 8000
14) HVOF Spraying Procedure

The production of HA coatings using the HVOF thermal spraying process are described in the following
sections:
1. Surface Preparation - The condition of substrate surface plays a vital role in the case of deposition by most
coating processes. Grit blasting is a well-known process for cleaning the surface and roughening the surface
allows for good deposition. Therefore prior to spraying samples were grit blasted for HVOF spraying. This
process was carried out using pure white alumina oxide (Al2O3), 500 μm (mesh 36) in size applied to the
stainless steel substrate. The blasting pressure was 5 Bar. To ensure the full surface roughness, the samples
were grit blasted for 2 minutes. The HVOF thermal spraying operation was carried out as soon as possible
after grit blasting, to ensure a freshly prepared surface was available for deposition.
2. Pre-Heat Treatment - To get rid of moisture on the substrate surface and to reduce residual stresses during
spraying, pre-heat treating was conducted, as this is very important where the surface of the sample is
exposed to a high temperature. The sample was heated up after igniting the gun up to the desired pre-heat
temperature (200 C). In this current research 5 loops (10 passes) were applied for the pre-heating cycle.
3. Spraying Process - At first the vaporizer unit was turned on. After this the extractor hood was switched on
and Coating powder was poured into the hopper of the powder feed assembly. The compressor was turned
on before igniting the gun, as helps to keep the gun cool. Lighting pressures and flow rates are given below
in table 2.3 were then set for igniting the gun.
 15) Microscopic images of specimens

Figure 15.1 Sample 1 Figure 15.2 Sample 2

Magnification is 100X for all samples

Figure 15.3 Sample 3 Figure 15.4 Sample 4
Figure 15.5 Sample 5 Figure 15.6 Sample 6
Figure 15.7 Sample 7 Figure 15.8 Sample 8
Figure 15.9 Sample 9
16) Observation Table for DOE
17) Graphical representation of coating thickness
18) Mathematical Model for the coating thickness

Coded equation for thickness Actual equation for thickness

19) Graphical representation of Predicted vs Actual response
20) Graphical representation of parameters vs response

Figure 20.1 Graphical representation of thickness vs stand-off distance

Figure 20.2 Graphical representation of thickness vs disc RPM
Figure 20.3 Graphical representation of thickness vs disc rpm
Figure 20.4 Graphical representation of thickness vs fuel pressure
21) Optimization of coating thickness
 Values of the factors stand-off distance, Gun velocity, disc rpm and fuel pressure were set as in range for the
maximization of the coating thickness. Result will show the optimum solution for the maximum thickness.

Figure 22.1 Constraints of factors and response

Figure 21.1 Settings for the optimization

Figure 21.3 Graphical representation of solution number 11
 A B C D E F G H Response Response

Stand-off distance Carrier Gas flow

Sample number Gun Velocity Disc rpm Fuel pressure Oxygen Flow rate LPG Flow Rate Powder Flow rate Porosity Thickness
(inches) rate

  (m/s)   (bar)         %  

1 6 0.006 4 5.5 270 65 50 230 2.33647 256.70535

2 6 0.009 4.5 6 270 65 57 230 2.49747 205.60384

3 6 0.012 5 6.5 270 65 63 230 2.63547 154.50233

4 7 0.006 4.5 6.5 270 65 57 230 2.50787 220.50405

5 7 0.009 5 5.5 270 65 63 230 2.64587 185.35204

6 7 0.012 4 5.5 270 65 50 230 2.34687 316.82203

7 8 0.006 5 6 270 65 63 230 2.65627 200.25225

8 8 0.009 4 6.5 270 65 50 230 2.35727 326.40574

9 8 0.012 4.5 5.5 270 65 57 230 2.51827 291.25373

21) Summary of Optimization

The best parameters which give the highest thickness are as follows:
 Stand-off distance- 7.86 inches
 Gun velocity- 0.011 m/s
 Disc rpm-4.015
 Fuel Pressure- 5.57 bar
 Maximum Thickness- 340.28 micron
 Results of sample number 8 is extremely close to the optimized results, it can be summarized that sample
number 8 is the best sample.
22) Conclusion
 In this current research, the experimental investigations to optimize the parameters for High Velocity Oxy
Fuel thermal sprayed coatings were carried out for higher thickness. The main conclusions from the current
study are summarized as follows
 The Design of Experiment (DOE) technique was capable to model for each of the HVOF coating responses
(Coating thickness).
 From ANOVA test it is found out that slope of the model graph between thickness and disc rpm is the
highest, and it can be concluded that disc rpm (powder feed rate) has the highest effect on coating thickness.
 From ANOVA test it is also found out that slope of the model graph between thickness and fuel pressure is
the least, and it can be concluded that Fuel pressure has the least effect on coating thickness.
 Coating thickness was found out maximum when Stand-off distance was 8 inches, Gun velocity was 0.009
m/s, Disc rpm were 4 and fuel pressure was 6 bar which is almost similar to the DOE Optimized solution, so
the experimental results do not contradict the optimized results.
 Stand-off distance and Gun velocity has positive effect on coating thickness, while disc rpm and Fuel
pressure has negative effect on coating thickness.