Numerical Analysis of High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel Thermal-Spray Process for Fe-Based Amorphous Coatings

High-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF)-sprayed amorphous alloy coatings usually have advantages of a dense structure that improve their resistance to corrosion, wear, and fatigue in the substrate. The flame flow characteristics and particle behaviors during the spray process have a significant influence on the amorphous coating structure and properties. In this study, a computational fluid dynamics model is enforced to analyze the flame flow and Fe-based amorphous alloy particle behavior in an HVOF spray process. The flame flow temperature, velocity characteristics, and the Fe48Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 Fe-based amorphous alloy particles’ velocities, temperatures, flight trajectories, and mass concentration distribution characteristics are simulated. Moreover, the effects of the oxygen/fuel ratio, particle morphology parameter, particle-injection rate, and angle on the particle behavior are also investigated. Judging from the simulation results, the optimum amorphous alloy particle size varies between 20 and 30 μm, the shape factor is within the range of 0.9–1, the optimum O/F ratio is 3.4, the optimum injection angle is 45°, and the optimum injection rate is 10 m/s. With these conditions, most of the particles settled toward the centerline of the spray gun and are in a semisolid or solid state before affecting the substrate, giving the materials optimal coating structure and performance.