This paper aims at studying the influence mechanism of gas temperatures (300 K, 400 K, 500 K, and 600 K) on gas atomization by simulating the integral atomization process of the close-coupled nozzle in vacuum induction gas atomization (VIGA). The primary atomization is simulated by the volume of fluid (VOF) approach, and the second atomization is studied by the discrete phase model (DPM) combined with the instability breakage model. The results show that, at an increased gas temperature, the influences of gas–liquid contact angle and gas temperature in the recirculation zone on the primary atomization are virtually negligible. However, increasing the gas temperature will increase the gas–liquid relative velocity near the recirculation zone and decrease the melt film thickness, which are the main reasons for the reduced mass median diameter (MMD, d ₅₀) of primary atomized droplets. During the secondary atomization, increasing the gas temperature from 300 K to 600 K results in an increase in the droplet dispersion angle, which is beneficial to the formation of spherical metal powder. In addition, increasing the gas temperature, the positive effect of gas–liquid relative velocity increase on droplets refinement overweighs the negative influence of the GMR decrease, resulting in the reduced MMD and diameter distribution interval. From the analysis of the atomization mechanism, the increase in atomization efficiency caused by increasing the temperature of the atomizing gas, including primary atomization and secondary atomization, is mainly due to the increase in the gas drag force difference between the inner and outer sides of the annular liquid film.

We simulate the gas-atomization process of a close-coupled annular nozzle for vacuum induction gas atomization at a three-dimensional scale. Moreover, the relationship between the simulated droplet type and experimentally metallic powder is established by comparing the morphology of droplets with powders. Herein, the primary atomization process is described by the volume-of-fluid (VOF) approach, whereas the prediction of powder diameter after secondary atomization is realized by the VOF-Lagrangian method. In addition, to completely reflect the breaking and deformation process of the metallic flow, we employ the VOF model to simulate the secondary atomization process of a single ellipsoidal droplet. The results show that the primary atomization process includes the formation of surface liquid film, appearance of serrated ligaments, and shredding of ligaments. Further, gas recirculation zone plays an important role in formation of the umbrella-shaped liquid film. The secondary atomization process is divided into droplet convergence and dispersion stages, and the predicted powder diameter is basically consistent with the experiment. In general, the four main powder shapes are formed by the interaction of five different typical droplets.

The current design of negative Poisson’s ratio lattice structures is mainly forward-looking and predominantly dependent on several known deformation patterns. To automate the generation of structures with programmable Poisson’s ratio, the study utilized the energy homogenization method and the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) method to establish an optimization model for negative Poisson’s ratio. By proposing a relaxed objective function and eliminating damping in the Optimality Criteria (OC) method, the study achieves the automatic evolution of negative Poisson’s ratio programmable lattice unit cells, with the lowest Poisson’s ratio achieving −0.5367, and an equivalent elastic matrix is derived. The iterative process’s efficiency is comparable to that of commercial software, with a maximum iteration time of 300 s, enabling the prompt identification of fundamental configurations. To validate the method’s effectiveness, finite element analysis was performed on four tubular structures, revealing evident tension–compression deformation patterns. Moreover, the microscale selective laser melting was used to successfully prepare multiple sets of tubular samples made from 316L stainless steel, each with a height of 5 mm. Quasi-static compression experiments showed negative Poisson’s ratio effects and buckling forms that align with finite element analysis results, providing valuable insights for industry applications.

With the aim to improve cladding coating quality and prevent cracking, this paper established an extreme high-speed laser cladding thermo-mechanical coupling simulation model to study the evolution of the temperature field and the residual stress distribution. Process parameters that impacted the macroscopic morphology of single-pass coatings were investigated. Numerical calculations and temperature field simulations were performed based on the process parameter data to validate the effects of the temperature gradient and cooling rate on the coating structure and the residual stress distribution. The results showed that a good coating quality could be achieved using a laser power of 2400 W, a cladding speed of 20 m/min, and a powder feeding rate of 20.32 g/min. The coatings’ cross-sectional morphology corresponded well with the temperature distribution predicted by the numerical modeling of the melt pool. The microstructure of the molten coatings was affected by the temperature gradient and the cooling rate, which varied greatly from the bottom to the middle to the top. Maximum residual stress appeared between the bonding region of the coatings and the substrate, and the coatings themselves had significant residual stress in the form of tensile strains, that were mostly distributed in the direction of the laser cladding.

Repairing hot work molds can extend their lifespans and reduce the production costs. This study presents a proposed method for enhancing the red hardness and strength of repaired molds. The method involves utilizing PM23 high-speed steel powder to repair H13 steel molds with two distinct surface states through the process of hot isostatic pressing (HIP). The internal microstructure changes, bonding state, fracture morphology, and crack extension behaviors of the repaired molds are characterized using scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction technology. Additionally, the mechanical properties, including red hardness and tensile strength, are quantitatively analyzed. The findings indicate that the repaired area in the sandblasted sample exhibits a rough and uneven structure, demonstrating exceptional toughness. The tensile strength of the repaired region is approximately 1195.42 MPa, while the hardness measures around 672.8 HV. These properties effectively enhance the performance of the molds. The experimental findings indicate that HIP can effectively restore molds, resulting in enhanced red hardness and improved toughness, particularly when combined with sandblasting as a pretreatment method.