Modeling the thermal and fluid flow fields in laser-based directed energy deposition (DED-LB) is crucial for understanding process behavior and ensuring part quality. However, existing models often fail to accurately predict these fields due to simplifying assumptions, particularly regarding powder particle-induced attenuation in laser power and energy density distribution, and the variable material properties and process parameters. The present work introduces a high-fidelity multi-phase thermal-fluid model driven by a combination of the discrete element method (DEM) and the finite volume method (FVM). Incorporating an enhanced attenuation model for laser energy enables a more precise approximation of powder particle-induced attenuation effects in the laser power and energy density distribution. The study focuses on the influence of laser beam intensity profiles during DED-LB of austenitic stainless steel (AISI 316 L), with model validation conducted through experimental measurements of deposited track dimensions for different beam shapes. The results of numerical simulations demonstrate the critical impact of powder-induced attenuation on the laser power and intensity profiles. Neglecting laser energy attenuation, a common assumption in numerical simulations of DED-LB, leads to overestimations of the absorbed energy of the laser beam, affecting thermal and fluid flow fields, and melt pool dimensions. The present study unravels the complex relationship between the attenuation coefficient (due to the powder stream) and powder stream characteristics, describing the variations of the attenuation coefficient with changes in the powder mass flow rate and powder stream incidence angle. The findings show the critical effects of laser beam shaping on melt pool behavior in DED-LB, with square beams inducing larger melt pool volumes and circular beams creating smaller but deeper melt pools. The proposed enhanced thermal-fluid modeling framework offers a robust approach for optimizing laser-based additive manufacturing across diverse materials and laser systems.

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A numerical framework based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD), using the finite volume method (FVM) and volume of fluid (VOF) technique is presented to investigate the effect of the laser beam intensity profile on melt pool behavior in laser-assisted powder-based directed energy deposition (L-DED). L-DED is an additive manufacturing (AM) process that utilizes a laser beam to fuse metal powder particles. To assure high-fidelity modeling, it was found that it is crucial to accurately model the interaction between the powder stream and the laser beam in the gas region above the substrate. The proposed model considers various phenomena including laser energy attenuation and absorption, multiple reflections of the laser rays, powder particle stream, particle-fluid interaction, temperature-dependent properties, buoyancy effects, thermal expansion, solidification shrinkage and drag, and Marangoni flow. The latter is induced by temperature and element-dependent surface tension. The model is validated using experimental results and highlights the importance of considering laser energy attenuation. Furthermore, the study investigates how the laser beam intensity profile affects melt pool size and shape, influencing the solidification microstructure and mechanical properties of the deposited material. The proposed model has the potential to optimize the L-DED process for a variety of materials and provides insights into the capability of numerical modeling for additive manufacturing optimization. @en

Laser beam shaping offers remarkable possibilities to control and optimise process stability and tailor material properties and structure in laser-based welding and additive manufacturing. However, little is known about the influence of laser beam shaping on the complex melt-pool behaviour, solidified melt-track bead profile and microstructural grain morphology in laser material processing. A simulation-based approach is utilised in the present work to study the effects of laser beam intensity profile and angle of incidence on the melt-pool behaviour in conduction-mode laser melting of stainless steel 316L plates. The present high-fidelity physics-based computational model accounts for crucial physical phenomena in laser material processing such as complex laser–matter interaction, solidification and melting, heat and fluid flow dynamics, and free-surface oscillations. Experiments were carried out using different laser beam shapes and the validity of the numerical predictions is demonstrated. The results indicate that for identical processing parameters, reshaping the laser beam leads to notable changes in the thermal and fluid flow fields in the melt pool, affecting the melt-track bead profile and solidification microstructure. The columnar-to-equiaxed transition is discussed for different laser-intensity profiles.

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The absorptivity of a material is a major uncertainty in numerical simulations of laser welding and additive manufacturing, and its value is often calibrated through trial-and-error exercises. This adversely affects the capability of numerical simulations when predicting the process behaviour and can eventually hinder the exploitation of fully digitised manufacturing processes, which is a goal of “industry 4.0”. In the present work, an enhanced absorption model that takes into account the effects of laser characteristics, incident angle, surface temperature, and material composition is utilised to predict internal heat and fluid flow in laser melting of stainless steel 316L. Employing such an absorption model is physically more realistic than assuming a constant absorptivity and can reduce the costs associated with calibrating an appropriate value. High-fidelity three-dimensional numerical simulations were performed using both variable and constant absorptivity models and the predictions compared with experimental data. The results of the present work unravel the crucial effect of absorptivity on the physics of internal flow in laser material processing. The difference between melt-pool shapes obtained using fibre and CO2 laser sources is explained, and factors affecting the local energy absorption are discussed.@en