Phase field simulation of dendrite growth in gas atomized binary Al

Cai, Y., Fang, P., Li, X., & Xu, Y. (2020). Phase field simulation of dendrite growth in gas atomized binary Al–Ni droplets. Particuology, 50, 43-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.partic.2019.08.002

Phase field simulation of dendrite growth in gas atomized binary Al–Ni droplets

Yuntao Cai ^a, Pengjun Fang ^a, Xinggang Li ^c, Yi Xu ^{a b *}

a School of Materials Science & Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
b Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials Technology, Ministry of Education, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
c SUSTech Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China

10.1016/j.partic.2019.08.002

Volume 50, June 2020, Pages 43-52

Received 9 April 2019, Revised 4 July 2019, Accepted 19 August 2019, Available online 24 October 2019, Version of Record 7 April 2020.

E-mail: xybwbj@swjtu.cn

Highlights

• The heat transfer process of an atomized droplet in flight was analyzed.

• A phase field model for gas atomized droplet solidification was established.

• Dendrite growth at different thermal boundary conditions was compared and analyzed.

Abstract

Catalytic powders with fine microstructures can be produced from a rapidly solidified gas atomized Al–Ni alloy. The solidification microstructure of the droplets is closely linked with heat flow conditions. Thus, the heat transfer conditions between the gas and droplet are essential to microstructural evolution. In this study, a phase field model for simulating single and multiple dendrite growth in a binary Al–Ni alloy was constructed and the microstructural evolutions occurring during a gas atomization process were evaluated. Temporal variations in the heat transfer coefficient and the boundary heat flux were taken into account. The results revealed that the heat transfer coefficient of the atomized droplet in flight is correlated with the droplet size and the relative velocity between the droplet and the atomizing gas. During the simulation, the competition between boundary heat flux extraction and latent heat release from phase transition causes a recalescence process in thermal history, thereby affecting the gradient temperature distribution and, consequently, the dendrite morphology. Dendrite growth under the effects of the heat transfer coefficient is restrained continuously because of the decreasing amount of extraction. The computational results confirmed the fine homogeneous microstructure and low microsegregation levels of gas atomized powders.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Numerical simulation; Dendrite morphology; Solidification; Gas atomization

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