Accelerated Thermo-Mechanical LPBF Analysis Employing an Effective Heat Input Model

Abstract

The laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) process frequently encounters issues such as residual stresses and part deformation, primarily due to the steep temperature gradients that occur during fabrication. Relying on experimental trial-and-error methods to address these issues is time-consuming and inefficient. As an alternative, numerical modeling and simulation can provide accurate predictions of residual stresses and deformation. However, traditional large-scale thermo-mechanical simulations for LPBF are computationally expensive. This study presents a novel model that utilizes an effective heat input to accelerate LPBF process simulation. The model is applied to cube and cantilever geometries under varying process parameters to predict residual stresses and deformation. Experimental validation is performed using X-ray residual stress analysis and optical scanning. Results show that using an effective heat source significantly reduces computation time while maintaining prediction accuracy.