Research
Numerical simulation of thin paint film flow
Journal of Mathematics in Industry 2012, 2:1 doi:10.1186/2190-5983-2-1
Published: 3 January 2012Abstract (provisional)
Purpose: Being able to predict the visual appearance of a painted steel sheet, given its topography before paint application, is of crucial importance for car makers. Accurate modeling of the industrial painting process is required.
Results
The equations describing the leveling of the paint film are complex and their numerical simulation requires advanced mathematical tools, which are described in detail in this paper. Simulations are validated using a large experimental data base obtained with a wavefront sensor developed by PhasicsTM.
Conclusions
The conducted simulations are complex and require the development of advanced numerical tools, like those presented in this paper. Keywords thin films, numerical simulation, industrial painting process, roughness, lubrication approximation
