Thermal and stress modeling of multi-material laser processing Original Research Article

Three-dimensional finite element modeling has been carried out to investigate the temperature field in the processing of multiple material components using a moving laser beam. Transient and residual stresses as well as distortion of the component have also been analyzed. Effects of laser processing conditions such as fabrication sequences, laser scanning patterns and scanning rates have been investigated. It is found that the temperature distribution, transient stress, residual stress and distortion of a multi-material component are dependent on the laser processing conditions as well as the material properties, especially the thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion. Implications of these results on laser fabrication of multiple materials are discussed.