Abstract
The particle finite element method (PFEM) is used to simulate a simple phase change problem. This is a first step towards the simulation of additive manufacturing (AM) processes at the meso-scale, where the liquid melt pool interacts with the surrounding solid material and undergoes phase change. The focus of this paper lies on strategies to deal with the release or absorption of latent heat in the PFEM, especially with regard to mesh refinement. We briefly describe how mesh refinement in PFEM works and how it can be chosen specifically to achieve convergence despite the highly non-linear latent heat term. It is found that good agreement with the literature can be achieved on a simple 1D phase change test case, while using an automatic local mesh refinement.
Highlights
Many additive manufacturing (AM) processes involve melting and solidification
The particle finite element method (PFEM) is a hybrid method combining the flexibility of a Lagrangian particle method with the robustness of a classical finite element method (FEM) formulation [1]
Because the PFEM is a Lagrangian method, the material is fully represented by particles at which the solution is stored
Summary
Many additive manufacturing (AM) processes involve melting and solidification Such processes come with common drawbacks that include thermal distortion after cooling, porosity, unwanted heat treatment or bad surface quality. These issues stem from the extreme complexity of the process combined with a lack of experience. Better simulation methods are needed at all length scales, where we are focusing on the mesoscale, where the evolution of the liquid melt pool, convective flows, heat transfer and phase transition occur. The latent heat term is highly non-liner and makes convergence more difficult, making a good mesh resolution at the phase change interface necessary. This article will focus on mesh refinement and convergence in PFEM when phase change occurs
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