Numerical Simulation and Visualization of Gas-Metal Powder Flow in Laser Cladding Process

Laser cladding technology has received much attention in recent years. Injection of powder by carrier gas through the nozzles plays an important role in the quality and control of the laser cladding process, so it is important to be studied. In this study, a two-phase flow of gas-powder metal from the nozzle in a laser-cladding process is numerically simulated and compared with the results of an experimental study of the nozzle output to confirm the numerical simulation. The three-dimensional simulation was carried out steadily by Ansys CFX software. Experimental study is carried out by the visualization of powder flow. The results of the experimental study and the numerical simulation are in good agreement. In the next section, the effects of various parameters such as particle flow rate, carrier gas flow rate and shielding gas flow rate on particle concentration are investigated. The simulation results showed that by decreasing the carrier gas flow rate, the maximum concentration of particles increases and the particles concentration location gets closer to the nozzle outlet. Also, increasing the powder flow rate only increases the concentration of the particles and has no effect on the other parameters of the powder flow. The change in the shield gas flow rate also has no effect on the powder flow behavior.