Abstract
Plasma figuring is a dwell time fabrication process that uses a locally delivered chemical reaction through means of an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) torch to correct surface figure errors. This paper presents two investigations for a high temperature jet (5000 K) that is used in the context of the plasma figuring process. Firstly, an investigation focuses on the aerodynamic properties of this jet that streamed through the plasma torch De-Laval nozzle and impinged optical surfaces. Secondly, the work highlights quantitatively the effects of changing the distance between the processed surface and nozzle outlet. In both investigations, results of numerical models and experiments were correlated. The authors’ modelling approach is based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The model is specifically created for this harsh environment. Designated areas of interests in the model domain are the nozzle convergent-divergent and the impinged substrate regions. Strong correlations are highlighted between the gas flow velocity near the surface and material removal footprint profiles. In conclusion, the CFD model supports the optimization of an ICP torch design to fulfil the demand for the correction of ultra-precision surfaces.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Boulos MI (1997) The inductively coupled radio frequency plasma. High Temp Mater Process: Int Quart High-Technol Plasma Process 1(1):17–39
Watanabe T, Okumiya H (2004) Formation mechanism of silicide nanoparticles by induction thermal plasmas. Sci Technol Adv Mater 5(5):639–646
Shigeta M, Sato T, Nishiyama H (2003) Numerical simulation of a potassium-seeded turbulent RF inductively coupled plasma with particles. Thin Solid Films 435(1):5–12
Gitzhofer F (1996) Induction plasma synthesis of ultrafine SiC. Pure Appl Chem 68(5):1113–1120
Reed TB (1961) Induction‐coupled plasma torch. J Appl Phys 32(5):821–824
Carr JW (1999) Atmospheric pressure plasma processing for damage-free optics and surfaces. Eng Res DevTechnol 3:31–39
Chang A, Carr JW, Kelley J, Fiske PS (2007) U.S. Patent No. 7,304,263. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Fridman A, Gutsol A, Cho YI (2007) Transport Phenomena in Plasma (Vol. 40). Academic Press
Castelli M, Jourdain R, Morantz P, Shore P (2012) Rapid optical surface figuring using reactive atom plasma. Precis Eng 36(3):467–476
Jourdain R, Castelli M, Shore P, Sommer P, Proscia D (2013) Reactive atom plasma (RAP) figuring machine for meter class optical surfaces. Prod Eng 7(6):665–673
Mostaghimi J, Proulx P, Boulos MI (1984) Parametric study of the flow and temperature fields in an inductively coupled rf plasma torch. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 4(3):199–217
Boulos MI (1985) The inductively coupled RF (radio frequency) plasma. Pure Appl Chem 57(9):1321–135
Nishiyama H, Muro Y, Kamiyama S (1996) The control of gas temperature and velocity fields of a RF induction thermal plasma by injecting secondary gas. J Phys D: Appl Phys 29(10):2634–2643
Bernardi D, Colombo V, Ghedini E, Mentrelli A (2003) Three-dimensional modelling of inductively coupled plasma torches. Eur Phys J D At, Mol, Opt Plasma Phys 22(1):119–125
Bernardi D, Colombo V, Ghedini E, Mentrelli A (2005) Three-dimensional modeling of inductively coupled plasma torches. Pure Appl Chem 77(2):359–372
Colombo V, Ghedini E, Sanibondi P (2010) A three-dimensional investigation of the effects of excitation frequency and sheath gas mixing in an atmospheric-pressure inductively coupled plasma system. J Phys D: Appl Phys 43(10):105202 (13pp)
Morsli M, Proulx P (2007) A chemical non-equilibrium model of an air supersonic ICP. J Phys D: Appl Phys 40(2):380–394
Morsli M, Proulx P, Gravelle D (2011) Chemical non-equilibrium modelling of an argon–oxygen supersonic ICP. Plasma Sources Sci Technol 20(1):015016 (11pp)
Fluent Inc. (2013) FLUENT Release 15.0, ANSYS Fluent User’s Guide. ANSYS Inc
Belostotskiy SG, Khandelwal R, Wang Q, Donnelly VM, Economou DJ, Sadeghi N (2008) Measurement of electron temperature and density in an argon microdischarge by laser Thomson scattering. Appl Phys Lett 92(22):221507 (3pp)
Chen WLT, Heberlein J, Pfender E (1996) Critical analysis of viscosity data of thermal argon plasmas at atmospheric pressure. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 16(4):635–650
Rott N (1990) Note on the history of the Reynolds number. Annu Rev Fluid Mech 22(1):1–12
Morsli M, Proulx P (2007) Two-temperature chemically non-equilibrium modelling of an air supersonic ICP. J Phys D: Appl Phys 40(16):4810–4828
O’Brien W (2011) Characterisation and Material Removal Properties of the RAPTM Process (PhD thesis). Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK
Launder BE, Spalding DB (1974) The numerical computation of turbulent flows. Comp Methods Appl Mech Eng 3(2):269–289
Castelli M (2013) Advances in Optical Surface Figuring by Reactive Atom Plasma (RAP) (PhD thesis). Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK
Wang HX, Chen X, Pan W (2007) Modeling study on the entrainment of ambient air into subsonic laminar and turbulent argon plasma jets. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 27(2):141–162
Bolot R, Imbert M, Coddet C (2001) On the use of a low-Reynolds extension to the Chen–Kim (k–ε) model to predict thermal exchanges in the case of an impinging plasma jet. Int J Heat Mass Transfer 44(6):1095–1106
Kang CW, Ng HW, Yu SCM (2006) Comparative study of plasma spray flow fields and particle behavior near to flat inclined substrates. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 26(2):149–175
Li HP, Pfender E (2007) Three dimensional modeling of the plasma spray process. J Therm Spray Technol 16(2):245–260
Selvan B, Ramachandran K, Pillai BC, Subhakar D (2011) Numerical modelling of Ar-N2 plasma jet impinging on a flat substrate. J Therm Spray Technol 20(3):534–548
Yu N, Jourdain R, Gourma M, Shore P (2014) Analysis of nozzle design used for the creation of advanced energy beam. ASPE, Annual meeting of American Society for Precision Engineering, Boston
Broc A, De Benedictis S, Dilecce G, Vigliotti M, Sharafutdinov RG, Skovorodko PA (2004) Experimental and numerical investigation of an O2/NO supersonic free jet expansion. J Fluid Mech 500:211–237
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
About this article
Cite this article
Yu, N., Jourdain, R., Gourma, M. et al. Analysis of De-Laval nozzle designs employed for plasma figuring of surfaces. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 87, 735–745 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-016-8502-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-016-8502-y