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Prediction of molten pool height, contact angle, and balling occurrence in laser powder bed fusion

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Abstract

In this work, an analytical modeling method is proposed for the prediction of molten pool height, contact angle, and balling occurrence in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) metal additive manufacturing. A closed-form temperature prediction model is employed to calculate the temperature distribution during melting process. The width and length of molten pool, and width of powder consumed band are then determined by comparing the temperature profile with the melting point of the material. The shape of the solidified cap of the molten pool is assumed to be a segmental cylinder. Per this assumption and mass conservation, the molten pool height, contact angle, and diameter of the cylindrical cap are then determined through geometrical relationships. The occurrences of balling defect are then predicted by checking the stability condition of scan tracks under different process conditions. The predicted results of molten pool width, height, and contact angle are compared with experimental results of Ti6Al4V, Inconel 625 in LPBF, and show acceptable accuracy. The predictions of balling occurrence are consistent with most experimental observations of SS316L. The sensitivities of contact angle to process conditions are discussed. In light of the fact that the temperature profiles are calculated based upon solutions in closed form, the presented computations of molten pool geometric characteristics and balling occurrence do not use any numerical iterations, which makes the proposed analytical modeling method computationally efficient. Thus, the proposed modeling method can be a fast and acceptable tool for the study of molten pool geometry and stability of single tracks in LPBF.

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  1. George W, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 801 Ferst Drive NW, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    Wenjia Wang & Steven Y. Liang

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  1. Wenjia Wang
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  2. Steven Y. Liang
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Wang, W., Liang, S.Y. Prediction of molten pool height, contact angle, and balling occurrence in laser powder bed fusion. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 119, 6193–6202 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-08633-8

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