Investigation on the effect of the thermal dynamic, evaporation, and alternative material properties in a laser melt pool with a developed 2D model based on the VOSET method

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe melt pool is the general process of the laser additive manufacturing process. An in-depth understanding of the evolution of the melt pool will facilitate obtaining an optimum mechanical performance. In this paper, a novel 2D transient model is presented, which considers most physical phenomena taking place in the laser melt process and incorporates a coupled multiphase capture method. This model is validated by comparing it to Han’s research. Then an investigation on the transient thermal dynamic in the melt pool including quenching time is carried out, and the effects of evaporation and alternative material properties on the evolution of the melt pool are discussed. The results show that the deformation of the free surface and the temperature in the workpiece both increase with energy input. After quenching, the temperature in the workpiece decreases sharply and the melt pool also shrinks. The evaporation effect is vigorous in the center of the melt pool and negligible in the periphery. The material properties have significant influence on the evolution process because the convection and diffusion in the melt pool are directly dominated by them.