Analysis of laser control effects for direct metal deposition process

As a promising and novel manufacturing technology, laser aided direct metal deposition (DMD) process produces near-net-shape functional metal parts directly from 3-D CAD models by repeating laser cladding layer by layer. The key of the build-up mechanism is the effective control of powder delivery and laser power to be irradiated into the melt-pool. A feedback control system using two sets of optical height sensors is designed for monitoring the melt-pool and real-time control of deposition dimension. With the feedback height control system, the dimensions of part can be controlled within designed tolerance maintaining real time control of each layer thickness. Clad nugget shapes reveal that the feedback control can affect the nugget size and morphology of microstructure. The pore/void level can be controlled by utilizing pulsed-mode laser and proper design of deposition tool-path. With the present configuration of the control system, it is believed that more innovation of the DMD process is possible to the deposition of layers in 3-D slice.     

Thermal expansion of functionally graded and wafer-layered structures produced by laser direct metal deposition

A range of engineering alloys was selected to create two distinct sets of structures. One was functionally graded materials (FGM)—using pairs of these alloys—and the second type was a series of wafer-layered structures using pairs of these alloys in different combinations. The aim of this investigation was to identify unique sets of structures of alloys which provide very different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) compared to those of individual elements. The process used to create these structures was laser direct metal deposition (DMD) additive manufacturing technology. The linear thermal expansion coefficients of these samples were measured and the results show that specific sets of FGM and wafer type structures of specific constituent metal alloys can be fabricated by DMD, in which the overall coefficient of thermal expansion of these new structures is significantly different from that of each alloy when measured individually. FGM and wafer type structures of specific constituent metal alloys have lower CTE than those of original alloys.     

Fabrication of micro-channel arrays on thin stainless steel sheets for proton exchange membrane fuel cells using micro-stamping technology

Bipolar plates are one of the crucial components of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Because of the expensive production costs of traditional graphite bipolar plates, which require a few millimeters thickness over the space, the resulting metal bipolar plate reduces the cost, and the thickness can be reduced to the micron range. This study explored the application of micro-stamping technology to produce thin metal bipolar plates with the relevant process parameters. In this study, the channel design was 0.8?×0.75 mm for the use of a rigid punch on a 50-μm-thick stainless steel sheet (SUS 304) for micro-channel stamping processes. The finite element method and the experimental results were used to analyze the main parameters of the micro-stamping process. The traditional material model and the scale factor modified material model were used for simulation. The experimental results verified that the modified material model is more realistic for products and has superior similarity because the punch load is relatively small. This study used updated Lagrangian formulation concept to establish an elastic–plastic deformation finite element analysis model and scale factor to modify the calculation to effectively simulate the micro-stamping process for metal bipolar plates.     

Micro Electrical Discharge Machining Deposition in Air for Fabrication of Micro Spiral Structures

Micro electrical discharge machining(EDM) deposition process is a new micro machining method for fabrication of metal micro structures. In this process, the high level of tool electrode wear is used to achieve the metal material deposition. Up to now, the studies of micro EDM deposition process focused mainly on the researches of deposition process, namely the effects of discharge parameters in deposition process on the deposition rate or deposition quality. The research of the formation of micro structures with different discharge energy density still lacks. With proper conditions and only by the z-axis feeding in vertical direction, a novel shape of micro spiral structure can be deposited, with 0.11 mm in wire diameter, 0.20 mm in outside diameter, and 3.78 mm in height. Then some new deposition strategies including angular deposition and against the gravity deposition were also successful. In order to find the forming mechanism of the spiral structures, the numerical simulation of the transient temperature distribution on the discharge point was conducted by using the finite-element method(FEM). The results show that there are two major factors lead to the forming of the spiral structures. One is the different material removal form of tool electrode according with the discharge energy density, the other is the influenced degree of the movement of the removed material particles in the discharge gap. The more the energy density in single discharge is, the smaller the mass of the removed material particles is, and the easier the movements of which will be changed to form an order tendency. The fine texture characteristics of the deposited micro spiral structures were analyzed by the energy spectrum analysis and the metaliographic analysis. It shows that the components of the deposited material are almost the same as those of the tool electrode. Moreover the deposited material has the brass metallic luster in the longitudinal profile and has compact bonding with the base material. This research is useful to understand the micro-process of micro EDM deposition better and helpful to increase the controllability of the new EDM method for fabrication of micro structures.     

Modeling of the geometry built-up by coaxial laser material deposition process

Coaxial laser material deposition (also known as laser-cladding process) is being used for selective material deposition on complex parts since the 1990s. Its main applications include coatings, rapid manufacturing, or high added value part repairing. The main advantages of the coaxial laser-cladding process are the high-quality bonding interface between added and substrate material, excellent mechanical behavior, and high precision of the resulting geometry in comparison with conventional welding processes. Moreover, the laser-cladding process involves low-heat input, which leads on minimum thermal distortions and reduced heat-affected zone. Thus, high responsibility components like aeronautic turbine parts, tooling for die and mold industry or medical implants, among others, can be processed with laser cladding. This paper presents a laser material deposition process model for the estimation of the geometric characteristics of added material layers, including the prediction of the 3D shape of single and multiple clads and considering overlapping effect, which is the common situation on industrial applications. The model only needs the typical process parameters as the laser power, substrate material, powder material and size, etc. The model has been applied to different laser material deposition strategies and validated for two different materials (AISI D2 and Inconel 718) by experimental testing, obtaining good agreement between estimated and measured values. Finally, a case study for a turbine engine fixture is presented as a possible application. Therefore, the proposed algorithm can be applied for estimating the resulting geometry of the laser-cladding process and predict the optimum laser-cladding strategy, number of layers, and distance between layers before programming the operation.     

Three-dimensional heat transfer analysis of LENSTM process using finite element method

Laser-engineered net shaping, referred to as LENS^TM process, is an additive manufacturing technique for building metallic parts, layer by layer, by direct deposition of metal powders in a melt pool created by a focused laser beam. The process involves rapid melting and solidification of a controlled amount of injected metal powders as a laser beam scans over each layer building the structure from the bottom to the top. Due to its unique capability to deposit precise amounts of powder material at a desired location, the LENS^TM process finds potential application in rapid tooling, prototyping, precision repair work, and manufacture of complex, intricate components with varying compositions. The peak temperature and thermal cycle experienced by each layer influence the final mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy of the part. An understanding and quantitative knowledge of the peak temperature, melt pool dimensions, and thermal cycles experienced in the deposited layers are essential for a priori selection of the process parameters in LENS^TM technique. It is important to ensure that the deposited layers have the desired dimensions, good interlayer bonding, and requisite mechanical properties. In an attempt to understand the process parameters to be used in achieving the desired nature of deposition, a three-dimensional model is developed based on finite element method to numerically simulate heat transfer phenomenon in LENS^TM process considering deposition of SS316 powders on a substrate of the same material. The computed temperature profiles are first validated with experimental results reported in the literature. The influence of process parameters on peak temperature, thermal cycles, and melt pool dimensions are studied subsequently. The continuous movement of laser and synchronized activation of elements depicting addition of powder particles are incorporated through an externally written user subroutine and using the element deactivation and activation features in the commercial finite element software ABAQUS 6.7. A unique non-dimensional parameter specific to LENS^TM process is defined considering the combined influence of process parameters and material properties. The non-dimensional parameter is further used to serve as a guideline for the selection of appropriate process parameters that can result in a steady melt pool dimension, thereby ensuring a target layer width with good interlayer bonding.     

Dissimilar metal deposition with a stainless steel and nickel-based alloy using wire and arc-based additive manufacturing

The wire and arc-based additive manufacturing process applies arc welding technology; the wire material is melted by the arc discharge, and is then accumulated successively in this process. The wire and arc-based additive manufacturing process directly and locally adds material to the molten pool. By changing the material locally during the process, more than one kind of material can be used simultaneously in a single manufactured component. In this study, two kinds of dissimilar metal deposition were conducted. A combination used was a stainless steel and Ni-based alloy. Mechanical properties near the interface such as hardness and bond strength were investigated. As a result, it was found that the mechanical properties of the manufactured alloy were comparable to those of a bulk material. In addition, an additive manufacturing system and a torch path planning method for using more than two kinds of material were proposed. By using this method, highly functional shapes whose surfaces and inner structures are made of different material could be made.     

斜轧穿孔过程金属流动的有限元模拟

应用刚塑性有限元法对热轧穿孔过程中的变形、几何构形以及变形区内速度场、应变场和温度场等进行了模拟计算。在确定的工艺条件下,如辊型、送进角、孔喉尺寸、顶头前伸量及毛管的椭圆度等,解决了斜轧金属流动有限元模拟中的边界条件、网格自动划分等相关问题。由变形速度场的分布可明确穿孔中顶头前的金属流动状况,其计算结果通过变形区轧卡试件进行了比较,认为该模拟对斜轧变形过程是可行合理的,且可用于其他斜轧过程的有限元模拟分析。     

考虑接触演变的板材回弹过程建模与优化

回弹是由工件在卸载后的弹性变形引起的。板料成形过程中为了控制成形件的最终形状,必须进行回弹设计优化。准确预测回弹对于板料成形过程的模具设计非常重要。降低回弹模拟结果与试验结果的偏差是设计过程中的难题。基于NUMISHEET’02的自由弯曲标准考题考虑板材与模具间的接触演变过程,建立了一个有限元模型来预测回弹。采用一个常规的优化方法对有限元分析中的材料和单元模型进行了分析,研究发现不同模型对回弹结果有较大影响。模拟结果与参考文献中的试验结果比较表明了模型的正确性和可行性。     

Prediction of TC11 single-track geometry in laser metal deposition based on back propagation neural network and random forest

Laser metal deposition process usually involves the nonlinear interaction of multiple factors, such as process parameters and ambient temperature. In this study, random forest (RF) and multilayer back propagation neural network (BPNN) algorithms were employed to investigate the coupling relationship between process parameters and single-track geometry in laser metal deposition for TC11 alloy. With laser power, scanning speed, and powder feeding rate as inputs and track width and height as outputs, 30 different groups of experimental results were adopted as training groups. Their geometries were also predicted. The maximum relative errors of track width and height predictions based on BPNN model were 0.007 % and 0.029 %, respectively, which were lower than those based on RF model. Then, the two models were used to predict the geometry under four new sets of process parameters. Experimental results showed that the maximum error of BPNN model is lower than that of RF model. BPNN model also showed potential to improve cladding quality and efficiency.

     

Numerical and experimental study of stretching effect on flexible forming technology

The flexible stretch forming technology (FSFT) is suitable for flexible manufacturing because it affords several advantages including applicability to various forming processes such as sheet metal forming, single curved surface forming, and quadratic curved surface forming. In this study, the formation of a quadratic curved surface with a saddle-type shape by the flexible stretch forming process is systematically investigated through a numerical simulation. A 4-mm-thick Al 3003-H14 aluminum alloy is used as the initial blank material. Urethane pads are defined based on a hyperelastic material model as a cushion for the smooth forming surface. The elastic recovery deformation behavior is also investigated to consider the exact result after the last forming process. The simulation indicates that the stretch forming process can be used to apply more stress to the blank and to reduce the elastic recovery effect. An experiment was then performed to confirm the process formability and reduction of the elastic recovery effect. A comparison of the objective surface between the simulation and the experimental results verified that the stretch forming process reduced the elastic recovery effect. This confirms that FSFT can be feasibly used to manufacture quadratic curved surfaces.     

Finite element simulation of flexible roll forming with supplemented material data and the experimental verification

Flexible roll forming is a promising manufacturing method for the production of variable cross section products. Considering the large plastic strain in this forming process which is much larger than that of uniform deformation phase of uniaxial tensile test, the widely adopted method of simulating the forming processes with non-supplemented material data from uniaxial tensile test will certainly lead to large error. To reduce this error, the material data is supplemented based on three constitutive models. Then a finite element model of a six passes flexible roll forming process is established based on the supplemented material data and the original material data from the uniaxial tensile test. The flexible roll forming experiment of a B pillar reinforcing plate is carried out to verify the proposed method. Final cross section shapes of the experimental and the simulated results are compared. It is shown that the simulation calculated with supplemented material data based on Swift model agrees well with the experimental results, while the simulation based on original material data could not predict the actual deformation accurately. The results indicate that this material supplement method is reliable and indispensible, and the simulation model can well reflect the real metal forming process. Detailed analysis of the distribution and history of plastic strain at different positions are performed. A new material data supplement method is proposed to tackle the problem which is ignored in other roll forming simulations, and thus the forming process simulation accuracy can be greatly improved.     

Numerical simulation of the thermal history multiple laser deposited layers

Multilayer direct laser metal deposition is a fabrication process in which the parts are fabricated by creating a molten pool into which metal powder particles are injected, and a layer is laid down by moving the pool. Height is added by creating additional layers on top of the first layer. During fabrication, a complex thermal history is experienced in different regions of the build. The thermal history includes the reheating process for previously deposited layers caused by subsequently deposited layers. The objective of this study is to provide insight into the thermal history during the direct laser deposition process. Using the commercial ABAQUS/CAE software, a thermomechanical 3D finite element model was developed. This work presents a 3D heat transfer model that considers the continuous addition of powder particles in the front of a moving laser beam using ABAQUS/CAE software. The model assumes the deposit geometry appropriate to each experimental condition and calculates temperature distribution, cooling rates, and remelted layer depth which can affect the final microstructure. Model simulations were qualitatively compared with experiments results acquired in situ using a K-type thermocouple.     

锂离子电池切分机构仿真与试验研究

与传统的整体破碎工艺相比而言,锂离子电池机械化拆解工艺可以在预处理阶段实现电芯和其他部分的分离,降低化学萃取成本,提高贵重金属元素的回收效率,具有重要的研究意义。为此设计了一种可以适应不同型号锂离子电池的切分机构,并提出了将可视为复杂装配下的复合材料的锂离子电池材料模型替代成简单均质的Johnson-Cook本构材料模型的等效替代理论,并通过理论计算、Abaqus仿真以及试验研究的方法进行分析,结果表明:所设计的切分机构能够完成锂离子电池的切分,切口和变形情况均满足要求,提出的等效替代理论可以满足切分试验的要求,并得到参数修正后的本构模型方程用于指导切分仿真计算。     

Material characterization of blanked parts in the vicinity of the cut edge using nanoindentation technique and inverse analysis

Sheet metal blanking is widely used in various industrial applications such as automotive and electrical rotating machines. When this process is used, the designer can be faced with several problems introduced by the change of the material state in the vicinity of the cut edge. In general, blanking operations severely affect mechanical and physical properties of blanked parts. To take into account these modifications during the part design, it is important to assess the influence of the process parameters on the resulting material properties. Previous experimental and numerical investigations of blanking process have been carried out, leading to the development and the validation of a finite element model that predicts the shape of the cut edge and state of the material. The study presented in this paper makes use of nanoindentation technique to improve the validation of the previously cited model. To this end, nanoindentation tests were combined with inverse identification technique to approach some of the characteristics of material state like work hardening near its cut edges. Indentation tests were carried out in the vicinity of several parts of cut edges. Based on the corresponding load versus penetration curves, the evolution of the yielding stress resulting from the material work hardening was estimated and compared to the predictions obtained from the numerical simulation of blanking process. These comparisons show good agreement between the measurements and the predictions from finite element model.     

Evaluation of component repair using direct metal deposition from scanned data

In this work, the repair volume of AISI H13 tool steel samples with hemisphere-shaped defects was reconstructed through reverse engineering and the samples were repaired by laser-aided direct metal deposition (DMD) using Co-based alloys powder as the filler material. Microstructure characterization and elemental distribution of deposits were analyzed using optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). Mechanical properties of repaired samples were evaluated via tensile test and microhardness measurement. The experiment showed that a gap between deposits and substrate exists if only employing the tool path generated from the reconstructed repair volume but the gap can be removed by depositing an extra layer covering that region. Microstructure and tensile test confirmed strong metallurgical bond in the interface. Defect-free columnar structure dominated the deposits near the interface while other regions of deposits consisted of dendrite structure with interdendritic eutectics. The tensile test showed that the repaired samples have a higher ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and lower ductility compared with those of base metal. Fractography from tensile test showed repaired samples fractured brittlely at the deposits section with cracking propagating along the grain boundaries. The hardness measurement showed that the deposited layers have a much higher hardness in comparison to the substrate.     

Investigation of the viscous and thermal effects on ductile fracture in sheet metal blanking process

In this paper, a methodology is proposed to predict the ductile damage in the sheet metal blanking process using a coupled thermomechanical finite-element method. A constitutive material model combined with the ductile fracture criteria was used. The effect of material softening due to the heat generated during plastic work in a specimen was considered in blanking simulations. To verify the validity of the proposed model, several blanking simulations are performed and the results compared with those obtained from an experimental study. The interaction of fracture initiation and temperature distribution in the sheet metal during the process was studied. The effect of velocity and the clearance on the product shape were examined. It was seen that at high punch speeds the viscous and thermal effects have significant effects on product quality.     

A new tool wear estimation method based on shape mapping in the milling process

In the milling process, tool wear has a great influence on product machining quality, especially for a difficult-to-cut material. In this paper, a new approach based on shape mapping is proposed to acquire tool wear in order to establish an off-line tool wear predicting model for assessing the degree of wear and remaining useful life. The new approach maps tool wear shape into a metal material by milling holes mode after finishing each of the machining experiments. The metal material has low influence on tool wear compared to the experimental material. Thus, a series of mapped holes, which can represent the worn tool information, are formed on the metal material when finishing all milling experiments. These mapped holes on the metal material are analyzed according to all types of milling cutters in order to establish the relationship between the characteristic parameters of these mapped holes and tool wear. According to the established relationship, the characteristic parameters of these mapped holes are measured on the coordinate measure machine. The tool wear of each machining experiment can be obtained from the measured characteristic parameters of these mapped holes. The new tool wear estimation method does not require the stoppage of the machine tool and the removal of the cutter to measure tool wear in the process of conducting tool wear experiments. The new method can increase the machine tool efficiency of tool wear machining experiments and provide an efficient way to acquire tool wear in the process of establishing an off-line tool wear predicting model. In order to verify the new tool wear estimation method, a series of machining experiments were conducted on the five-axis machining center for cemented carbide cutting tool milling stainless steel. Experiments show that the shape mapping strategy of tool wear can allow for an effective assessment of tool wear and indicate good correlation with the expected wear characteristics and easily conduct tool wear experiments.     

微型直接甲醇燃料电池若干关键技术进展

在介绍微型直接甲醇燃料电池（μDMFC）工作原理的基础上,探讨了其流场板结构、流场板工艺和材料、物料管理和封装技术等关键问题。分析比较了不同结构的流场板对μDMFC性能的影响,介绍了微流场板加工的难点和流场板材料的特殊性,讨论了μDMFC物料管理方式及其进展,综述了μDMFC封装的难点和研究现状。     

Multisensor-based monitoring of weld deposition and plate distortion for various torch angles in pulsed MIG welding

Manufacturing companies often fail to maintain good weld quality due to poor arc stability and distortion after welding. Weld quality can be improved by reducing the transverse shrinkage and the angular distortion in butt welding. The welding deposition efficiency is also an important economic factor. In this work, various pulse voltage parameters have been varied along with welding torch angle in pulsed metal inert gas (P-MIG) welding. The experimental results revealed that the peak voltage is the dominant pulse voltage parameter. Various sensors were also used to monitor arc current, arc voltage, arc sound, and also weld temperature. A strong relationship between arc sound (as well as arc power) and transverse distortion (as well as metal deposition) was found to exist in P-MIG welding. The frequency domain features of welding arc sound were also extracted and correlated to the process characteristics.