About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T26: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Additive Manufacturing Modeling, Simulation, and Machine Learning: Microstructure, Mechanics, and Process
|
| Presentation Title |
Validating Thermo-Calc Predictions of Oxygen Effects on LPBF Printability and Melt Pool Geometry in 316L Stainless Steel |
| Author(s) |
Ana L. Hernandez, Jhoan Guzman, Antonio J. Antonio |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Ana L. Hernandez |
| Abstract Scope |
LPBF requires computational tools capable of accelerating process optimization and understanding microstructure evolution under rapid solidification conditions. The Thermo-Calc AM Module was evaluated using experimental LPBF builds of 316L SS to assess its capability to predict printability maps, melt pool geometry, and defect formation. The effects of laser power, scanning speed, hatch spacing, and interstitial content were systematically investigated. Simulations revealed that increasing oxygen content shifts the lack-of-fusion boundary, expanding the printable region toward higher scanning speeds due to improved laser energy absorption and melt pool stability near the minimum penetration threshold. Melt pool depth increased with linear energy density, confirming its stronger physical relevance compared to volumetric energy density. However, oxygen content significantly affected melt pool behavior, indicating that compositional variations influence laser–material interaction. These results highlight the importance of considering oxygen effects in LPBF process modeling and demonstrate the usefulness of computational approaches for process window optimization. |