Simulation of Localized Stress Impact on Solidification Pattern during Plasma Cladding of WC Particles in Nickel-Based Alloys by Phase-Field Method

As materials science continues to advance, the correlation between microstructure and macroscopic properties has garnered growing interest for optimizing and predicting material performance under various operating conditions. The phase-field method has emerged as a crucial tool for investigating the interplay between microstructural characteristics and internal material properties. In this study, we propose a phase-field approach to couple two-phase growth with stress–strain elastic energy at the mesoscale, enabling the simulation of local stress effects on the solidified structure during the plasma cladding of WC particles and nickel-based alloys. This model offers a more precise prediction of microstructural evolution influenced by stress. Initially, the phase field of WC-Ni binary alloys was modeled, followed by simulations of actual local stress conditions and their impacts on WC particles and nickel-based alloys with ProCAST and finite element analysis software. The results indicate that increased stress reduces grain boundary migration, decelerates WC particle dissolution and diffusion, and diminishes the formation of reaction layers and Ostwald ripening. Furthermore, experimental validation corroborated that the model’s predictions were consistent with the observed microstructural evolution of WC particles and nickel-based alloy composites.