Simulation of the Marangoni Effect and Phase Change Using the Particle Finite Element Method

Billy-Joe Bobach,Diego Celentano,Vincent E Terrapon,Jean-Philippe Ponthot,Romain Boman

doi:10.3390/app112411893

Billy-Joe Bobach, Diego Celentano + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app112411893

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Abstract

A simulation method is developed herein based on the particle finite element method (PFEM) to simulate processes with surface tension and phase change. These effects are important in the simulation of industrial applications, such as welding and additive manufacturing, where concentrated heat sources melt a portion of the material in a localized fashion. The aim of the study is to use this method to simulate such processes at the meso-scale and thereby gain a better understanding of the physics involved. The advantage of PFEM lies in its Lagrangian description, allowing for automatic tracking of interfaces and free boundaries, as well as its robustness and flexibility in dealing with multiphysics problems. A series of test cases is presented to validate the simulation method for these two effects in combination with temperature-driven convective flows in 2D. The PFEM-based method is shown to handle both purely convective flows and those with the Marangoni effect or melting well. Following exhaustive validation using solutions reported in the literature, the obtained results show that an overall satisfactory simulation of the complex physics is achieved. Further steps to improve the results and move towards the simulation of actual welding and additive manufacturing examples are pointed out.

Highlights

A series of test cases is presented here to attempt to validate the physics included in the particle finite element method (PFEM) based model for welding and additive manufacturing simulations
The main modeling capabilities needed for such simulations are a thermo-fluid solver that can model the buoyancy and Marangoni effects that drive the convective flow in the melt pool and the phase change effects on momentum and heat equation
The use of PFEM is rooted in its robustness, which stems from the underlying finite element method (FEM); at the same time, the particle character of this method allows simulation of large deformations, including complex fluid flow

Summary

Introduction

Phase change plays a key role in some state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, such as welding and additive manufacturing. Characteristic of these applications is that phase change occurs very locally at a specific length scale, which we call the mesoscale. The mesoscale is the length scale at which the melt pool and the concentrated heat source are well-resolved. Other phenomena relevant to engineers occur on all length scales while still strongly depending on phenomena at the mesoscale. Examples include residual stresses and material warping at the part scale and the crystallographic evolution upon freezing at the microscale, which are closely related to convective flows, heat transfer and melt pool evolution at the mesoscale. Few methods have been developed that can fully or even partially simulate these effects at the mesoscale

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