Abstract Scope |
Fabricating metallic Functionally Gradient Materials (FGMs) with Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process has been studied extensively in recent years. Most of studies are focused on experimental observation and material characterization. These experimental study procedures are very time-consuming and costly. Some modeling studies tried to use Finite Element Method simulating FGMs building process, but the modeling study’s complexity and accuracy are far from adequate. The goal of this research is to fill the above gaps by establishing a novel multi-physics & multi-material thermal fluid model to fundamentally investigate the building process of FGMs with DED. Temporal and spatial thermal distribution, phase change, fluid dynamics in molten pool, material distribution, and FGM geometry were calculated with high fidelity. As a demonstration, a DED fabrication process for Stainless Steel/Inconel FGM structure was simulated with this novel modeling tool. After that, simulation results were validated with experimental observation data, including material composition and FGM geometry. |