Development of fluid dynamics for spray applied coatings

塔塔钢铁是欧洲和英国的一家主要钢铁制造公司，其产品组合包括汽车、工程和包装钢(马口铁)。120万吨的包装生产量是在威尔士、荷兰和比利时的工厂生产的。包装钢是一个要求很高的市场，拥有清洁、高度可成形的钢和特殊的表面性能，销往欧洲、英国和美国的主要包装生产商。在罐头制造商的加工过程中，马口铁上会涂上一层纳米油，以防止刮伤。如果这种油使用不当，可能会导致客户在进一步加工过程中出现问题。在这种情况下，马口铁的表面张力与漆/溶剂体系不相容，可能导致产品报废。这种油通常是通过静电涂油器施加的，利用加压空气产生油雾，然后通过电离场产生分散得很好的雾，沉积在目标的地面上。该项目旨在改进用于测量沉积的油膜的电喷雾装置和表征技术。最初，研究工程师将使用一系列实验室技术，如UV-Vis、FTIR、TGA、附着力测试、光学显微镜和油膜重量测量，对选定的钢质包装产品进行表征。结果将确定感兴趣的测量石油的方法，并揭示材料处理、测量和分析中的任何具体困难。下一步将涉及确定和测试有可能形成大小一致的油滴的技术，以及在形成和使用后油滴分布的特征。最终目标是提供更好的润湿性，与新的漆膜系统兼容。

Tata Steel is a major steel manufacturing company in both Europe and the UK, having a portfolio comprising automotive, engineering and packaging steels (tinplate). The packaging production volume of 1.2 million tonnes is manufactured across sites in Wales, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Packaging Steel is a highly demanding market with clean, highly formable steel and exceptional surface properties, selling to the major packaging producers of Europe, UK, and the US. A nano coating of oil is applied to tinplate to prevent scratching during processing at the can maker. If this oil is applied incorrectly it can result in problems during further processing at the customer. In such cases the surface tension of the tinplate is not compatible with lacquer / solvent system and can result in the product being rejected. The oil is typically applied via an electrostatic oiler whereby an oil mist is created using pressurised air that subsequently passes through an ionisation field to create a finely dispersed mist that is deposited onto the earthed surface of the target. The project aims to both enhance the electrospray device and the characterisation techniques used to measure the oil film deposited. Initially the Research Engineer will characterise selected steel packaging products using a range of laboratory techniques i.e. Uv-VIS, FTIR, TGA, Adhesion Testing, Optical Microscopy and Oil Film Weight measurements. The outcomes will identify methods of interest for measuring oil and reveal any specific difficulties in materials handling, measurement, and analyses. Next steps will involve identifying and testing of technologies with the potential to form oil droplets of a uniform size and the characterisation of oil distribution during forming and after application. The ultimate aim being to deliver improved wettability compatible with new lacquer systems.