Preliminary Parametric Investigations into Macro-Laser Polishing of Laser-Directed Energy Deposition of SS 304L Bulk Structures

Abstract

The higher surface roughness of laser-directed energy deposition (LDED)-built components necessitates advanced and sustainable surface quality enhancement techniques like laser polishing. In the present work, a parametric study involving experimental investigation and numerical analysis is conducted to determine the effect of macro-laser polishing on LDED-built SS 304L structures. A thermophysical model is developed to simulate the effect of laser power and scan speed on the melt pool depth of the LDED-built samples. The simulated melt pool depth is compared with experimental results and is found to be in good agreement. Further, the correlation between the melt pool depth and surface behaviour is studied based on shallow surface melting and shallow over-melting mechanisms. A maximum reduction in surface roughness from 21.3 µm to 9 µm (~57%) is achieved with laser polishing, and process parameters’ effect on the surface roughness is investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are used to further characterize the laser-polished surface. SEM-EDS analysis shows that the segregation is more evident in laser-polished samples, while the XRD results indicate the absence of phase change during the process. This study paves the way to a greater understanding of the effect of macro-laser polishing on LDED-built SS 304L structures.