Publication Date
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Committee Members
Joy Gockel, Ph.D. (Advisor); Nathan Klingbeil, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ahsan Mian, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Degree Name
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)
Abstract
In additive manufacturing (AM), it is necessary to know the influence of processing parameters in order to have better control over the microstructure and mechanical performance of the part. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a metal AM process in which thin layers of powdered material are selectively melted to create a three-dimensional structure. This manufacturing process is beneficial for many reasons; however, it is limited by the thermal solidification conditions achievable in the available processing parameter ranges for single-beam processing methods. Therefore, this work investigates the effect of multiple, coordinated heat sources, which are used to strategically modify the melting and solidifying in the AM process. The addition of multiple heat sources has the potential to provide better control of the thermal conditions, thus providing better control of the microstructure of the additively manufactured parts. To model this, existing thermal models of the LPBF process have been modified to predict the thermal effects of multiple coordinated laser beams. These computational models are used to calculate melt pool dimensions and thermal conditions throughout the LPBF process. Furthermore, the results of the simulations are used to determine the influence of the distance between the coordinated laser beams. The predictive method used in this research provides insight into the effects of using multiple coordinated beams in LPBF, which is a necessary step in increasing the capabilities of the AM process.
Page Count
106
Department or Program
Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Year Degree Awarded
2020
Copyright
Copyright 2020, all rights reserved. My ETD will be available under the "Fair Use" terms of copyright law.
ORCID ID
0000-0003-1992-5276
