Wetting and Spreading Characteristics of the Impact of Molten Aluminum Droplets on Surfaces

Abstract

The impact of molten aluminum droplets on a solid surface at a temperature of 1173 K is numerically simulated using the volume of fluid model. The spreading patterns of droplets with various initial velocities and diameters on surfaces with various wettability are investigated, and the velocity distribution, the spreading factor, the height factor, the spreading time, and other parameters of the molten droplets in the impact process are analyzed. The simulation results show that the larger the contact angle, the smaller the wetting radius; the smaller the static contact angle, the smaller the surface and the stronger the droplet adhesion. As the initial velocity of droplet increases, the maximum spreading factor also increases and a jet is generated at the center of droplet. However, change in the initial velocity has a negligible effect on reaching the maximum spreading state. The amplitude and frequency of droplet oscillations increase significantly with the droplet diameter, the smaller droplets deforming faster and stabilizing more easily. Moreover, α is the revised factor in Pasandideh–Fard model based on the energy conservation law. This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for the wetting and spreading adhesion of aluminum liquids in production of electrolytic aluminum.