On the numerical treatment of heat sources in laser beam welding processes

Abstract

Laser beam welding is a contact free fusion technique which has gained importance during the last years due to rising need for automatization in industrial processes. However, a well‐known problem is the formation of solidification cracks in the rear region of the melting pool. In order to investigate the formation of solidification cracks which is highly dependent on the chemical composition, the welding speed, weld beam intensity and the resulting temperature gradient in the material, the modeling of the laser beam as a heat source plays a prominent role. In order to investigate heat sources in laser beam welding, this contribution compares two methods, the Goldak model and a second model that mimics the region of the melt pool with the idea of an isothermal region. Suitable boundary value problems to show the differences of the methods are demonstrated.