Mesoscale modeling of metal-based selective laser melting: evolution of the vapor capillary

Abstract

In this work we apply a multiphysics approach to selective laser melting to model the evolution of the vapor capillary, taking into account the effects of variable laser intensity, scan speed, and spot size. Restricting the work to a single line scan with a continuous wave laser, we focused on the application of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. In addition to heat, momentum and mass transfer, the solid/liquid/vapor interface was simulated using a front-tracking, level-set method, and an imposed recoil pressure was used to model the evolving vapor capillary. Initial benchmark applications focusing on an evolving melting front served to validate the heat transfer/phase change numerical framework.