Finite element simulation of temperature field of SLM forming

Abstract

Aiming at the problem that the unknown variation rule of molten pool and the interlayer effect on the forming efficiency and precision of products in the process of selective laser melting(SLM) of high-strength aluminum alloy A17075, the influence of different process parameters (laser power and scanning speed) on the morphology of the molten pool and the temperature field of the various forming layers was investigated. The finite element analysis software ANSYS was used to establish a multi-layer and multi-channel temperature field finite element model for SLM forming of thin-walled metal parts, and at the same time, the loading of the laser heat source, the laser power and the scanning speed were simulated by using the programming of the language APDL (ansys parametric design language), and the "element birth and death" technique was adopted to describe the dynamic growth process of the metal powder material and the distribution of the transient temperature field was derived. The results show that the laser power and scanning speed affect different temperature field factors, and the SLM process parameters suitable for Al7075 powder are power of 250~300 W and speed of 800~1 000 mm/s. The reasonable range of leser power and scanning speed is obtained, which provides theoretical reference and support for high-strength aluminum alloy in SLM practical experiments.

Keywords

• special processing technology; slm; multi-layer and multi-channel; high-strength aluminum alloy; transient temperature field; element birth and death