Simulating fast electron beam melting with a parallel thermal free surface lattice Boltzmann method
This paper introduces a three dimensional (3D) thermal lattice Boltzmann method for the simulation of electron beam melting processes. The multi-distribution approach incorporates a state-of-the-art volume of fluid free surface method to handle the complex interaction between gas, liquid, and solid phases. The paper provides a detailed explanation of the modeling of the electron beam gun properties, such as the absorption rate and the energy dissipation. Additionally, an algorithm for the construction of a realistic powder bed is discussed. Special emphasis is placed to a parallel, optimized implementation due to the high computational costs of 3D simulations. Finally, a thorough validation of the heat equation and the solidliquid phase transition demonstrates the capability of the approach to considerably improve the electron beam melting process.
free surface thermal lattice boltzmann method electron beam melting process parallel computing