Numerical Study to Analyze the Influence of Process Parameters on Temperature and Stress Field in Powder Bed Fusion of Ti-6Al-4V

This paper presents a comprehensive numerical investigation to simulate heat transfer and residual stress formation of Ti-6Al-4V alloy during the Laser Powder Bed Fusion process, using a finite element model (FEM). The FEM was developed with a focus on the effects of key process parameters, including laser scanning velocity, laser power, hatch space, and scanning pattern in single-layer scanning. The model was validated against experimental data, demonstrating good agreement in terms of temperature profiles and melt pool dimensions. The study elucidates the significant impact of process parameters on thermal gradients, melt pool characteristics, and residual stress distribution. An increase in laser velocity, from 600 mm/s to 1500 mm/s, resulted in a smaller melt pool area and faster cooling rate. Similarly, the magnitude of residual stress initially decreased and subsequently increased with increasing laser velocity. Higher laser power led to an increase in melt pool size, maximum temperature, and thermal residual stress. Hatch spacing also exhibited an inverse relationship with thermal gradient and residual stress, as maximum residual stress decreased by about 30% by increasing the hatch space from 25 µm to 75 µm. The laser scanning pattern also influenced the thermal gradient and residual stress distribution after the cooling stage.