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Title: Energy Coupling Mechanisms and Scaling Behavior Associated with Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing

Journal Article · · Advanced Engineering Materials

In situ optical absorptivity measurements are carried out to clarify the physics of the laser-material interactions involved and to validate both finite element and analytical models describing laser powder bed fusion processing. Absorption of laser energy is evaluated directly using precise calorimetry measurements and compared to melt pool depths for common structural metal alloys (Ti-6Al-4V, Inconel 625, and stainless steel 316L) as a function of incident laser power, scan velocity and laser beam diameter. Changes in both absorptivity and melt pool depths for all materials are found to vary strongly across the conduction-keyhole mode threshold. A hydrodynamic finite element model is coupled to a ray-tracing-based absorptivity model, yielding excellent agreement with the experimental results and elucidating additional physics. The experimental results are further analyzed using normalized enthalpy (β) and normalized thermal diffusion length (L*th) relations and demonstrate that the normalized melt pool depth (d* = d/a, where d is melt pool depth and a is beam radius) is proportional to βL*th, while absorptivity follows an asymptotic exponential function against βL*th. Expressions for melt pool depth and laser absorptivity across different materials and laser scan systems are derived and thus provide useful tools to accelerate the optimization of laser processing parameters for metal 3D printing processes.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344; 18‐SI‐003; 17‐SC‐20‐SC
OSTI ID:
1569671
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1513062
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-763217; 950524
Journal Information:
Advanced Engineering Materials, Vol. 21, Issue 7; ISSN 1438-1656
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 108 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (1)

Modification of Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser‐Melted CuCr0.3 Alloy Using Carbon Nanoparticles journal November 2019