Three-dimensional finite element analysis of temperatures and stresses in wide-band laser surface melting processing

During laser surface melting of steel components, obtaining the desired distribution of microstructure and residual stresses with minimum distortion is essential for production goals and reliable service performance. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element based model, which is integrated into commercial finite element analysis (FEA) software SYSWELD by means of user subroutines, has been developed to simulate the wide-band laser surface melting (LSM) processing and predict temperature history and stress field with different laser scanning speed. In the proposed computational procedure, thermal, metallurgical transformation and mechanical aspects were taken into account, and the heat transfer analysis, the temperature dependent on material properties and a coupled transient thermo-mechanical analysis were used. Effects of laser scanning speed on melting temperature field and residual stress were investigated. The simulation results show that laser scanning speed changes have significant effects on melting residual stress. For experimental verification, laser surface melting of thin plate 42CrMo4 steel was achieved by a 5 kW continuous wave CO₂ laser with laser scanning speed from 10 m/s to 30 m/s. The computational results are in good agreement with experimental measurements.