Defects Location Estimation Using Multiscale Thermal Finite Element Method

Abstract

The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process is the subject of numerous researches for a few decades. Manufactured parts experience very high heating and cooling rates along the laser beam path and suffer an extensive range of temperatures. These high heating and cooling rates can lead to defects such as cracks, distortions, and porosities. These defects are driven by the thermal history, related to several factors such as scanning strategy, surrounding powder insulation, parts geometry, number of parts to be manufactured, recoating time, etc. All these factors need to be considered to precisely simulate the thermal history. In this study, a multiscale thermal approach has been developed and applied to a study case. Most of the thermal history aspects are covered using five temporal and spatial scales FEM model. The overall thermal history and future improvements for simulating a full build plate in reasonable computational time are discussed.

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