A Numerical Study on The Solidification of Liquid Metal Droplets Impacting onto a Substrate

The problem of normal incidence impact with solidification of a spherical liquid metal droplet onto a rigid planar substrate is studied. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a finite-volume formulation with a fixed grid. The free surface of the droplet is tracked by the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method. The surface tension on the droplet surface is evaluated by a continuum surface force (CSF) model. The energy equation is modeled by using an enthalpy-based formulation. The method developed provides a comprehensive model of the dynamic and thermal aspects of the impact process. The effects of several parameters on the spread of the droplet on the substrate are determined. A correlation for the maximum spread factor is obtained and is in agreement with the experimental data available in the literature.