A numerical model for predicting powder characteristics in LMD considering particle interaction

[Display omitted] •Powder particle interaction during laser directed energy deposition.•Numerical model for prediction of powder agglomeration, dent formation and PSD.•At the nozzle exit only the largest powder particles are effectively collected.•Numerical model predictions of powder agglomeration align with experimental results. In this work, a numerical model is proposed to analyze the influence of particle–particle interaction in laser directed energy deposition or LMD (laser metal deposition) of CM247 Ni-based superalloy. The model is based on the analysis of contact between particles and the potential agglomeration of powder to predict powder conditions at the nozzle exit. Simulation results were experimentally validated and a good agreement was observed. At the nozzle exit mainly large particles (>100 µm) are found and small ones (