Numerical Analysis and Experimental Verification of Optimum Heat Input in Additive Manufacturing of Aero Ultrathin Blade

Abstract

Heat input is a crucial factor affecting the quality in blade additive manufacturing repairing. First, a moving heat source model was established, and through numerical analysis and experimental comparison, the optimal geometric parameters of the heat source model for ultrathin blade repair were obtained. Second, a heat transfer model is established based on the optimal heat source model. By analyzing the thermophysical properties of different alloys, the heat input range of the blade was calculated. By heat transfer calculation under different heat inputs, the heat transfer model of blade repair was optimized. Then, a mathematical model of additive height is established. The optimized heat transfer model is used to solve the temperature distribution of the additive section with time under different wire feeding speeds through numerical analysis, which further reduced the heat input range. Third, the experiments are carried out based on the results of numerical analysis. The evolution law of the microstructure and heat input rate of the additive manufacturing zone was revealed, and the optimal heat input parameters were obtained. Under the optimal parameters, the segregation zone disappeared; hence, the test data were close to the base metal, and the additive manufacturing zone achieved better quality. The results and methods are of great guiding significance for the optimization design in additive manufacturing repair of the aero blades. The study also contributes to carrying out a series of research on heat transfer of ultrathin nickel-based alloy welding.