Heat Transfer Modeling of Metal Deposition Employing Welding Heat Source

Abstract

Gas Metal Arc welding (GMAW) has shown potential, for Layered Manufacturing (LM) of metallic components, due to its inherent feature of high inter-layer and metallurgical bonding. Residual Stress induced warping is a major concern in a variety of LM processes, particularly those seeking to build parts directly without post processing steps. The temperature distribution and re-melting depth plays an important role in controlling residual stresses and distortion. This paper presents a 3D finite element based thermal model of a novel welding based deposition process as applied to LM. The model showed good agreement with experimental data. The results show that the process is not axis symmetric and a complete 3D model is required for accurate prediction of temperatures and deformation.