Analysis of Melt-Pool Behaviors during Selective Laser Melting of AISI 304 Stainless-Steel Composites

Abstract

The melt-pool behaviors during selective laser melting (SLM) of Al2O3-reinforced and a eutectic mixture of Al2O3-ZrO2-reinforced AISI 304 stainless-steel composites were numerically analyzed and experimentally validated. The thermal analysis results show that the geometry of the melt pool is significantly dependent on reinforcing particles, owing to the variations in the melting point and the thermal conductivity of the powder mixture. With the use of a eutectic mixture of Al2O3-ZrO2 instead of an Al2O3 reinforcing particle, the maximum temperature of the melt pool was increased. Meanwhile, a negligible corresponding relationship was observed between the cooling rate of both reinforcements. Therefore, it was identified that the liquid lifetime of the melt pool has the effect on the melting behavior, rather than the cooling rate, and the liquid lifetime increases with the eutectic ratio of Al2O3-ZrO2 reinforcement. The temperature gradient at the top surface reduces with the use of an Al2O3-ZrO2 reinforcement particle due to the wider melt pool. Inversely, the temperature gradient in the thickness direction increases with the use of an Al2O3-ZrO2 reinforcement particle. The results of melt-pool behaviors will provide a deep understanding of the effect of reinforcing particles on the dimensional accuracies and properties of fabricated AISI 304 stainless-steel composites.