TY - CONF A1 - Putra, Stephen Nugraha A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Der Einfluss verschiedener räumlicher Diskretisierungsansätze des Ray-Tracing-Verfahrens bei der Simulation des Laserstrahltiefschweißen N2 - Die Wärmeverteilung des Lasers beim Laserstrahltiefschweißen ist für die Formgebung der Dampfkapillare und für die Schweißbaddynamik entscheidend. In dieser Arbeit werden die Laserwärmeverteilung und deren Einflüsse auf die Schweißbadtiefe sowie -breite numerisch anhand des Ray-Tracing-Verfahrens analysiert. Hierbei wird der La-serstrahl in mehreren Strahlenbündeln bzw. Subrays unterteilt. Diesbezüglich soll der Pfad der Subrays präzis be-rechnet werden, um die Dynamik der Dampfkapillare und des Schweißbades eines realen Schweißprozesses rich-tig abzubilden. Zu diesem Zweck beschäftigt sich die vorliegende Arbeit mit der Genauigkeitsverbesserung der Kontaktposition und der Reflexionsrichtung der Subrays auf der freien Oberfläche anhand der Level-Set-Methode. Um die Güte dieses Simulationsansatzes zu gewährleisten, wurde eine Gegenüberstellung mit den zwei klassischen Ray-Tracing-Verfahren mittels drei verschiedenen Benchmark-Testreihen durchgeführt. Anschließend wurden die Versuchsergebnisse zur Validierung der implementierten numerischen Ansätze verwendet. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit kann es gezeigt werden, dass unterschiedliche Wärmeverteilung aufgrund der verschiedenen Ray-Tracing-Verfahren deutlich zu erkennen ist, welche wiederum die Schweißbaddynamik sowie die lokalisierte Dampfkapil-lardynamik stark beeinflussen. Ferner wurde es bestätigt, dass die implementierte Level-Set-Methode zu einer ge-naueren Ermittlung der Kontaktposition und der Reflexionsrichtung der Subrays und somit zu einer Verbesserung der simulierten Schmelzkontur führt. T2 - 43. Assistentenseminar Füge- und Schweißtechnik CY - Schwarzenberg/Erzgebirge, Germany DA - 27.09.2022 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Ray tracing method KW - Weld pool dynamics KW - Numerical modeling PY - 2023 UR - https://www.dvs-media.eu/de/neuerscheinungen/4584/43.-assistentenseminar-fuegetechnik SN - 978-3-96144-212-6 VL - 386 SP - 91 EP - 102 PB - DVS Media GmbH CY - Düsseldorf AN - OPUS4-59119 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Putra, Stephen Nugraha A1 - Yang, Fan A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Pusbatzkies, Pablo A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Elucidation of the Laser Beam Energy Attenuation by the Vapor Plume Formation during High Power Laser Beam Welding N2 - In high-power laser beam welding, a common phenomenon is the formation of a keyhole caused by the rapid evaporation of the material. Under atmospheric pressure, this evaporation generates a vapor plume that interacts with the laser beam, leading to energy attenuation and scattering of the laser radiation along its path. These interactions affect the stability of the process and the overall weld quality. This study investigates the influence of the vapor plume on the weld pool and keyhole dynamics during high-power laser beam welding of AlMg3 aluminum alloy through experimental and numerical approaches. The primary goal is to identify key vapor plume characteristics, particularly its length fluctuations, and to improve the accuracy of the numerical models. To achieve this, an algorithm was developed for the automated measurement of the vapor plume length using high-speed imaging and advanced data processing techniques. The measured plume length is then used to estimate the additional vapor heating and laser energy attenuation using the Beer–Lambert law. A refined numerical CFD model, incorporating 3D transient heat transfer, fluid flow, and ray tracing, was developed to evaluate the vapor plume’s impact. Results show that already the time-averaged plume length effectively captures its transient influence and aligns well with experimental weld seam geometries. Additionally, energy scattering and absorption caused by the vapor plume led to a wider weld pool at the top surface. The study also shows an increased percentage of keyhole collapses due to the reduced laser power absorption at the keyhole bottom, further highlighting the importance of accurately modeling vapor plume effects. T2 - International Congress of Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics 2025 CY - Orlando, USA DA - 12.10.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Vapor plume formation KW - Weld pool KW - Keyhole dynamics KW - Numerical modeling PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-64817 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bachmann, Marcel T1 - Challenges in Modelling Dynamic Heat Sources in High-Power Laser Beam Welding N2 - The amount of absorbed energy in the keyhole as well as its distribution is essential to model the laser beam welding process. The recoil pressure is a key determining factor for the macroscopic flow of the molten metal in the weld pool during high-power laser beam welding. Consequently, a realistic implementation of the laser radiation on the weld metal is crucial to obtain accurate simulation results. The following developments on the laser-material interaction are discussed for the numerical simulation of the laser beam welding process. The first implemented improvements relate to locating the exact reflection points in the ray tracing method in the determination algorithm for the intersection of the reflected rays and the keyhole surface. A second correction refers to the numerical treatment of the Gaussian distribution of the laser beam, whose beam width is defined by a decay of the laser intensity by a factor of 1/e2 thus ignoring around 14 % of the total laser beam energy. In a third step, the laser radiation distribution in vertical direction was approximated according to the beam caustics. Finally, a virtual mesh refinement was adopted in the ray tracing routine. The obtained numerical results were validated with experimental measurements. T2 - IIW Annual Assembly 2024 CY - Rhodes , Greece DA - 07.07.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Numerical modeling KW - Ray tracing KW - Heat source modeling PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60634 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Putra, Stephen Nugraha A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Parametric study of the laser energy absorption in high-power laser beam welding N2 - Laser energy absorption on the keyhole wall is decisive for the thermodynamic behavior and the resultant weld properties in the high-power laser beam welding process. However, its highly transient nature on a microsecond scale makes the quantitative analysis challenging. In this paper, the influence of the relevant welding parameters on laser energy absorption is studied statistically by utilizing multiphysical modeling, in which the three-dimensional transient keyhole dynamics and thermo-fluid flow are calculated. A dynamic mesh adaption technique and a localized level-set-based ray-tracing method are employed to improve the model accuracy further. The results show that the focus position has a remarkable effect on the time-averaged laser absorption, and in contrast, the laser energy distribution regime is only slightly influenced by the welding speed in the studied parameter range (1.5–3.0 m/min). The absorption ratio of the laser energy on the keyhole front wall decreases with increasing welding speed and increases with upward-moving focus positions. The comparison between the calculated results and the experimental measurements ensures the validity of the proposed model. T2 - International Congress of Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics 2024 CY - Los Angeles, CA, USA DA - 03.11.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Laser energy absorption KW - Multiphysics modeling KW - Parametric study KW - Weld pool PY - 2024 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-61629 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bachmann, Marcel T1 - Reconstruction of the time-averaged keyhole geometry in laser beam welding with electromagnetic support N2 - In laser beam welding (LBW), the time-averaged keyhole shape provides statistical insights into the process compared to its transient geometry, offering a deeper understanding of the overall keyhole behaviour. However, capturing the time-averaged keyhole shape through experimental methods remains challenging. In this paper, a reconstruction algorithm for the time-averaged keyhole is developed and integrated into a three-dimensional transient multi-physical coupled numerical model. The algorithm can accurately capture the key characteristics of the keyhole, including its diameter and centroid. In addition, it can also successfully reproduce the experimentally observed phenomena of keyhole tailing. The overall shape of the keyhole appears smooth, without exhibiting obvious instability features. Furthermore, the time-averaged keyhole shape is compared under different magnetic flux densities when an external oscillating magnetic field is applied. The results indicate that the application of external magnetic fields does not fundamentally alter the overall keyhole shape. With increasing magnetic flux density, the trailing tail becomes progressively less pronounced and a noticeable increase in the curvature of the rear wall is observed. The standard deviation of the keyhole diameter can serve as an effective index for evaluating the keyhole instability. Keyhole stability in LBW of aluminium alloys is improved under the assistance of electromagnetic fields, and this stabilization is positively correlated with increasing magnetic flux density. T2 - 14th International Seminar Numerical Analysis of Weldability CY - Seggau, Austria DA - 21.09.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Keyhole reconstruction KW - Electromagnetic weld pool support KW - Porosity defects KW - Keyhole stability PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64257 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bachmann, Marcel T1 - Elucidation of the Laser Beam Energy Attenuation by the Vapor Plume Formation during High Power Laser Beam Welding N2 - In high-power laser beam welding, a common phenomenon is the formation of a keyhole caused by the rapid evaporation of the material. Under atmospheric pressure, this evaporation generates a vapor plume that interacts with the laser beam, leading to energy attenuation and scattering of the laser radiation along its path. These interactions affect the stability of the process and the overall weld quality. This study investigates the influence of the vapor plume on the weld pool and keyhole dynamics during high-power laser beam welding of AlMg3 aluminum alloy through experimental and numerical approaches. The primary goal is to identify key vapor plume characteristics, particularly its length fluctuations, and to improve the accuracy of the numerical models. To achieve this, an algorithm was developed for the automated measurement of the vapor plume length using high-speed imaging and advanced data processing techniques. The measured plume length is then used to estimate the additional vapor heating and laser energy attenuation using the Beer–Lambert law. A refined numerical CFD model, incorporating 3D transient heat transfer, fluid flow, and ray tracing, was developed to evaluate the vapor plume’s impact. Results show that already the time-averaged plume length effectively captures its transient influence and aligns well with experimental weld seam geometries. Additionally, energy scattering and absorption caused by the vapor plume led to a wider weld pool at the top surface. The study also shows an increased percentage of keyhole collapses due to the reduced laser power absorption at the keyhole bottom, further highlighting the importance of accurately modeling vapor plume effects. T2 - International Congress of Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics 2025 CY - Orlando, FL, USA DA - 12.10.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Vapor plume formation KW - Weld pool KW - Keyhole dynamics KW - Numerical modeling PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64816 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Bakir, Nasim A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey A1 - Na, S.-J. A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - On the search for the origin of the bulge effect in high power laser beam welding N2 - The shape of the weld pool in laser beam welding plays a major role to understand the dynamics of the melt and its solidification behavior. The aim of the present work was its experimental and numerical investigation. To visualize the geometry of the melt pool in the longitudinal section a butt joint configuration of 15 mm thick structural steel and transparent quartz glass was used. The weld pool shape was recorded by means of a high-speed video camera and two thermal imaging MWIR and VIS cameras. The observations show that the dimensions of the weld pool vary depending on the depth. The regions close to the surface form a teardrop shaped weld pool. A bulge-region and its temporal evolution were observed approximately in the middle of the depth of the weld pool. Additionally, a transient numerical simulation was performed until reaching a steady state to obtain the weld pool shape and to understand the formation mechanism of the observed bulging phenomena. A fixed keyhole with an experimentally obtained shape was used to represent the full-penetration laser beam welding process. The model considers the local temperature field, the effects of phase transition, thermo-capillary convection, natural convection and temperature-dependent material properties up to evaporation temperature. It was found that the Marangoni convection and the movement of the laser heat source are the dominant factors for the formation of the bulging-region. Good correlation between the numerically calculated and the experimentally observed weld bead shapes and the time-temperature curves on the upper and bottom surface were found. T2 - International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO®) CY - Orlando, USA DA - 14.10.2018 KW - Bulging effect KW - High power laser beam welding KW - Numerical modelling KW - Solidification cracking PY - 2019 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-47139 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Numerical and experimental investigation of thermo-fluid flow and element transport in electromagnetic stirring enhanced wire feed laser beam welding N2 - The introduction of electromagnetic stirring to laser beam welding can bring several beneficial effects e.g. element homogenization and grain refinement. However, the underlying physics has not been fully explored due to the absence of quantitative data of heat and mass transfer in the molten pool. In this paper, the influence of electromagnetic stirring on the thermo-fluid flow and element transport in the wire feed laser beam welding is studied numerically and experimentally. A three-dimensional transient heat transfer and fluid flow model coupled with dynamic keyhole, magnetic induction and element Transport is developed for the first time. The results suggest that the Lorentz force produced by an oscillating magnetic field and its induced eddy current shows an important influence on the thermo-fluid flow and the keyhole stability. The melt flow velocity is increased by the electromagnetic stirring at the rear and lower regions of molten pool. The keyhole collapses more frequently at the upper part. The additional Elements from the filler wire are significantly homogenized because of the enhanced forward and downward flow. The model is well verified by fusion line shape, high-speed images of molten pool and measured element distribution. This work provides a deeper understanding of the transport phenomena in the laser beam welding with magnetic field. KW - Thermo-fluid flow KW - Element transport KW - Laser beam welding KW - MHD KW - Numerical analysis PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2019.118663 VL - 144 SP - 118663 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-49299 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - A theoretical study of influence of electromagnetic stirring on transport phenomena in wire feed laser beam welding N2 - The additional element from the filler wire in the laser beam welding is usually distributed inhomogeneously in the final weld due to the high solidification rate of weld pool. It has been found that the electromagnetic stirring produced by an external oscillating magnetic field can enhance the material mixing in the weld pool to achieve a more uniform element distribution. However, the magnetic field has a highly non-linear and multi-coupled interaction with the weld pool behavior, which makes the quantitative explanation of the physical mechanism difficult. In this study, the effect of electromagnetic stirring on the transport phenomena in the wire feed laser beam welding is investigated by a numerical modelling. A 3D transient multi-physical model considering the magnetohydrodynamics, heat transfer, fluid flow, keyhole dynamics and element transport is developed. The multiple reflections and the Fresnel absorption of the laser on the keyhole wall are calculated using the ray tracing method. The numerical results show that a Lorentz force produced by the oscillating magnetic field and its induced eddy current gives significant influence on the transport phenomena in the molten pool. The forward and downward flow is enhanced by the electromagnetic stirring, which homogenizes the distribution of the additional elements from a nickel-based filler wire in a steel weld pool. The numerical results show a good agreement with the high-speed images of the molten pool, the fusion line from the optical micrograph and the element distribution from the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. This work provides a physical base for the electromagnetic-controlled laser beam welding and some guidance for the selection of electromagnetic parameters. T2 - ICALEO 2019 CY - Orlando, US DA - 07.10.2019 KW - Magnetohydrodynamics KW - Molten pool dynamics KW - Element transport KW - Laser beam welding PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49300 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Karkhin, V. A1 - Bakir, Nasim A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Lamé curves approximation for the assessment of the 3-D temperature distribution in keyhole mode welding processes N2 - A novel approach for the reconstruction of an equivalent volumetric heat source from a known weld pool shape is proposed. It is based on previously obtained weld pool geometries from a steady-state thermo-fluid dynamics simulation. Hereby the weld pool dimensions are obtained under consideration of the most crucial physical phenomena, such as phase transformations, thermo-capillary convection, natural convection and temperature-dependent material properties. The algorithm provides a time and calibration efficient way for the reproduction of the weld pool shape by local Lamé curves. By adjusting their parameters, the identification of the finite elements located within the weld pool is enabled. The heat input due to the equivalent heat source is assured by replacing the detected nodes’ temperature by the melting temperature. The model offers variable parameters making it flexible and adaptable for a wide range of workpiece thicknesses and materials and allows for the investigation of transient thermal effects, e.g. the cooling stage of the workpiece. The calculation times remain acceptably short especially when compared to a fully coupled process simulation. The computational results are in good agreement with performed complete-penetration laser beam welding experiments. T2 - ICALEO 2019 - 38th International congress on applications of lasers & electro-optics CY - Orlando, FL, USA DA - 07.10.2019 KW - Weld pool shape approximation KW - Keyhole mode laser beam welding KW - Numerical simulation KW - Superelliptic Lamé curves PY - 2019 UR - http://icaleo.conferencespot.org/2019-proceedings?qr=1 SN - 978-1-940168-1-42 SP - Paper # Macro 1002 AN - OPUS4-49310 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bachmann, Marcel T1 - Lamé curves approximation for the assessment of the 3-D temperature distribution in keyhole mode welding processes N2 - A novel approach for the reconstruction of an equivalent volumetric heat source from a known weld pool shape is proposed. It is based on previously obtained weld pool geometries from a steady-state thermo-fluid dynamics simulation. Hereby the weld pool dimensions are obtained under consideration of the most crucial physical phenomena, such as phase transformations, thermo-capillary convection, natural convection and temperature-dependent material properties. The algorithm provides a time and calibration efficient way for the reproduction of the weld pool shape by local Lamé curves. By adjusting their parameters, the identification of the finite elements located within the weld pool is enabled. The heat input due to the equivalent heat source is assured by replacing the detected nodes’ temperature by the melting temperature. The model offers variable parameters making it flexible and adaptable for a wide range of workpiece thicknesses and materials and allows for the investigation of transient thermal effects, e.g. the cooling stage of the workpiece. The calculation times remain acceptably short especially when compared to a fully coupled process simulation. The computational results are in good agreement with performed complete-penetration laser beam welding experiments. T2 - International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO 2019) CY - Orlando, FL, USA DA - 07.10.2019 KW - Weld pool shape approximation KW - Keyhole mode laser beam welding KW - Numerical simulation KW - Superelliptic Lamé curves PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49309 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Karkhin, V. A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Mathematical modeling of the geometrical differences between the weld end crater and the steady-state weld pool N2 - The geometrical characteristics of the weld end crater are commonly used for the validation of numerical results in welding simulation. A semi-analytical model calculating the cooling stage of the welding process after the moving energy source is turned off has been developed. A solution for various combinations of heat sources and workpieces has been found. The theoretical limits for the heat transfer of the absorbed energy during cooling in a thin plate and a semi-infinite body were studied. It is shown that after turning off the energy source, an additional melting of the base material in longitudinal direction may occur. The developed technique is applied to complete-penetration keyhole laser beam welding of a 2 mm thick austenitic chromium-nickel 316L steel plate at a welding speed of 20 mm/s and a laser power of 2.3 kW. The results show a theoretical increase of the weld end crater length in comparison to the length of the steady-state weld pool of up to 19 %. A shift of the centre of the end crater, in which the solidification of the liquid metal ends, towards the tail of the end crater relative to the axis of the heat source at the time of its termination, was computed. The speed and the direction of crystallization of the molten material in the weld pool and the end crater were found to be different. A good agreement between the computational results and the welding experiments was achieved. T2 - ICALEO 2019 - The International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (Proceedings) CY - Orlando, FL USA DA - 07.10.2019 KW - Keyhole mode welding KW - Weld pool shape KW - End-crater KW - Heat conduction PY - 2019 UR - http://icaleo.conferencespot.org/2019-proceedings?qr=1 SN - 978-1-940168-1-42 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-49344 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -