Thermo-fluid Dynamics of Melt Pools in Laser Powder Bed Fusion of Scalmalloy®: CFD Simulations, Non-dimensional Analysis, and Microstructure Prediction
Zaki S. Saldia, Arief S. Budimanb, Fergyanto E. Gunawanc and Tim Pasangd
aDepartment of Product Design, Universitas Pembangunan Jaya, Tangerang Selatan, 15413, Indonesia.
bDepartment of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering and Technology, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, 97601, OR, USA
cIndustrial Engineering Department, BINUS Graduate Program - Master of Industrial Engineering, Bina Nusantara University, Jakarta, 11480, Indonesia
dDepartment of Engineering Design, Manufacturing and Management Systems, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, 4900-5200, MI, USA
|
Abstract:
In this work, thermo-fluid dynamics of melt pools formed during Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) of a Scalmalloy® part was studied using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The formation of the melt pools was examined, and non-dimensional analysis of various flow and heat transfer driving forces was performed to justify the assumptions used in the model. The microstructure model predicted that the morphology factors increase with the energy density, due to thermocapillary effect and decreasing cooling rates. At high energy density the grain morphology tends to be columnar rather than equiaxed, albeit with the existence of mixed columnar-equiaxed regime, which is confirmed by the evaluation of the solidification map. In addition, the microstructure grain size was predicted to decrease with the scanning speed, as the cooling rate intensifies.
|