NEW APPROACH TO COMPUTER−AIDED DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION THE PLASMA SPRAY PROCESS: CONCEPT AND SOFTWARE

As is known, up to now there is absent any physically justified and usable concept of computer − aided designing and optimization of specific technology of plasma spraying. Theoretical fundamentals of metal, metal alloy and ceramic splats formation developed and tested open the new possibilities in context of sensitivity analysis and establishing the inverse link between the splat characteristics and the key physical parameters prior to impact (KPPs): temperature, velocity and size of droplet; substrate temperature. A new approach is based on the concept of formulating the requirements imposed on splats as elements of a coating micro- and mesostructure that is formed in the course of spraying. This approach allows one at the first stage of designing a specific coating and corresponding technology, instead of formulation of the requirements of the coating characteristics as a whole (density, porosity, adhesion etc.), to concentrate the attention on some analogues of these characteristics that are related functionally with the space − time characteristics of splat formation. The possibilities of software developed for designing the metallic coatings are illustrated.