Numerical simulation of thin paint film flow

International audienceBeing 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. The equations describing the leveling of the paint 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 database obtained with a wavefront sensor developed by PhasicsTM

Characterization of surface roughness by means of wavelet analysis

International audienc

Rheology of thin films from flow observations

International audienceA major challenge regarding thin films is the characterization of their rheology and the measurement of the fluid physical parameters. For complex fluids, performing direct rheology measurements is extremely difficult considering the geometric characteristics of thin films. In this paper, we present a method for characterizing the film rheology based on measurements at regular time intervals of the film surface topography. These measures allow us, by solving an inverse problem, to validate a model of rheology for the thin fluid film and to determine the physical parameters specific to this model