We present a phase-field model for predicting elastic effects on microstructure evolution at the process of laser sintering with powder injection. We derive a system of governing equations describing coupling effects among phase variable, concentration, thermal and elastic displacement fields based on the principle of entropy production positiveness, in which thermal and concentration expansions, mechanical anisotropy effects, transformation dilatation, and strain dependency on phase transformation are considered. The microstructure model is coupled with a macroscopic thermodynamic model. Effects of thermo-capillary and thermo-gravitation convections are included. The possibility to describe the process of structure formation at the phase interface during the melt crystallization is discussed. This model enables prediction and visualization of grain structures during and after the laser sintering process.

Date Published: 26 June 2017
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 10330, Modeling Aspects in Optical Metrology VI, 103301C (26 June 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2270122

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10330:
Modeling Aspects in Optical Metrology VI
Bernd Bodermann; Karsten Frenner; Richard M. Silver, Editor(s)