TY - CONF A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Kising, Pascal A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Numerical analysis of the dependency of the weld pool shape on turbulence and thermodynamic activity of solutes in laser beam welding of unalloyed steels N2 - A three-dimensional numerical model was developed to accurately predict the steady-state weld pool shape in full penetration laser beam welding. The model accounts for the coupling between the heat transfer and the fluid dynamics by considering the effects of solid/liquid phase transition, thermo-capillary convection, natural convection, and phase-specific and temperature-dependent material properties up to the evaporation temperature. A fixed right circular cone was utilized as a keyhole geometry to consider the heat absorbed from the laser beam. The model was used to analyze the influence of the thermodynamic activity of solutes and turbulence on the weld pool shape. A mesh sensitivity analysis was performed on a hybrid mesh combining hexahedral and tetrahedral elements. For the case of full penetration laser beam welding of 8 mm thick unalloyed steel sheets, the dependence of the weld pool shape on the surface-active element sulfur was found to be negligible. The analysis of the results showed that a laminar formulation is sufficient for accurately predicting the weld pool shape since the turbulence has a minor impact on the flow dynamics in the weld pool. The validity of the numerical results was backed up by experimental measurements and observations, including weld pool length, local temperature history, and a range of metallographic crosssections. T2 - 13th International Seminar Numerical Analysis of Weldability CY - Seggau, Austria DA - 04.09.2022 KW - Weld pool shape KW - Numerical modeling KW - Laser beam welding KW - Thermo-capillary convection KW - Turbulence PY - 2023 SN - 978-3-85125-968-1 SN - 978-3-85125-969-8 SN - 2410-0544 VL - 13 SP - 161 EP - 188 PB - Verlag der Technischen Universität Graz AN - OPUS4-58803 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Üstündag, Ömer A1 - Gumenyuk, Andrey A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - A numerical study on the suppression of a detrimental weld pool profile in wire feed laser beam welding by magnetohydrodynamic technique N2 - The weld quality and the possible defect formation are directly determined by the weld pool shape and the thermo-fluid dynamics therein. In this paper, an untypical weld pool profile, i.e., elongated at its top and bottom but narrowed at the middle, is found experimentally and numerically in the wire feed laser beam welding. The detrimental influence of the weld pool narrowing on the element transport is analyzed and discussed. A magnetohydrodynamic technique is utilized to suppress the narrowing, aiming at a more homogenous element distribution. It is found that a low-temperature region is formed in the middle of the weld pool due to the interaction of the two dominant circulations from the top and bottom regions. The weld pool is significantly narrowed due to the untypical growth of the mushy zone in the low-temperature region, which results in a direct blocking effect on the downward flow and the premature solidification in the middle region. The Lorentz force produced by a transverse oscillating magnetic field shows the potential to change the flow pattern into a single-circulation type and the low-temperature-gradient region is mitigated. Therefore, the downward transfer channel is widened, and its premature solidification is prevented. The numerical results are well validated by experimental measurements of metal/glass observation and X-ray fluorescence element mapping. T2 - 13th International Seminar Numerical Analysis of Weldability CY - Seggau, Austria DA - 04.09.2022 KW - Thermo-fluid flow KW - Element transport KW - Laser beam welding KW - Magnetohydrodynamics KW - Multi - physical modeling PY - 2023 SN - 2410-0544 VL - 13 SP - 143 EP - 160 PB - Verlag der Technischen Universität Graz AN - OPUS4-58806 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Yang, Chunliang A1 - Yang, Fan A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Putra, Stephen Nugraha A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Experimental and numerical study on grain refinement in electromagnetic assisted laser beam welding of 5754 al alloy N2 - Through experimental observation and auxiliary numerical simulation, this investigation studies the different types of grain refinement of 5754 aluminum alloy laser beam welding by applying a transverse oscillating magnetic field. Scanning electron microscope results have proved that the application of a magnetic field can reduce the average crystal branch width and increase its number. The interaction between the induced eddy current generated by the Seebeck effect and the applied external magnetic field produces a Lorentz force, which is important for the increase of the number of crystal branches. Based on the theory of dendrite fragmentation and the magnetic field-induced branches increment, the grain size reduction caused by the magnetic field is studied. Furthermore, the effects of the magnetic field are analyzed by combining a phase field method model and simulations of nucleation and grain growth. The grain distribution and average grain size after welding verifies the reliability of the model. In addition, the introduction of a magnetic field can increase the number of periodic three-dimensional solidification patterns. In the intersection of two periods of solidification patterns, the metal can be re-melted and then re-solidified, which prevents the grains that have been solidified and formed previously from further growth and generates some small cellular grains in the new fusion line. The magnetic field increases the building frequency of these solidification structures and thus promotes this kind of grain refinement. T2 - International Congress of Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics 2023 CY - Chicago, USA DA - 16.10.2023 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Magnetic field KW - Crystal branch development KW - Grain refinement KW - Periodic solidification pattern PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-58809 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Putra, Stephen Nugraha A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Challenges in dynamic heat source modeling in high-power laser beam welding N2 - The amount of absorbed energy in the keyhole as well as its spatial and temporal distribution is essential to model the laser beam welding process. The recoil pressure, which develops because of the evaporation process induced by the absorbed laser energy at the keyhole wall, 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 effect of the laser radiation on the weld metal is crucial to obtain reliable and accurate simulation results. In this paper, we discuss manyfold different improvements on the laser-material interaction, namely the ray-tracing method, in the numerical simulation of the laser beam welding process. The first improvement relates to locating the exact reflection points in the ray tracing method using a so-called cosine condition 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 changes in the laser radiation distribution in the vertical direction were adapted by using different approximations for the converging and the diverging regions of the laser beam thus mimicking the beam caustic. Finally, a virtual mesh refinement was adopted in the ray tracing routine. The obtained numerical results were validated with experimental measurements. T2 - International Congress of Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics 2023 CY - Chicago, USA DA - 16.10.2023 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Laser energy distribution KW - Ray tracing KW - Numerical modeling PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-58475 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - 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 - Meng, Xiangmeng T1 - A statistical investigation of the laser energy absorption and keyhole stability in high-power laser beam welding N2 - The behaviour of the weld pool in high-power laser beam welding is significantly influenced by laser absorption and keyhole stability, which determines the final weld qualities. However, their dynamic features and multi-coupled interactions make in-depth analyses difficult. This study addresses the challenges by conducting a thorough statistical evaluation of the effects of welding parameters on laser absorption and keyhole fluctuations, using experimental investigations and a well-validated numerical model. From a statistical aspect, the laser energy distribution and the keyhole collapse, commonly considered highly time-varying, show clear regularities. Three distinct regions of the time-averaged energy distribution are identified. The possibility of the keyhole collapse positions obeys a universal normal distribution. The statistical data show greater potential in revealing some well-known, industry-related but unclearly explained findings, such as the saturation of the weld penetration with increasing heat input and the physical basis of the contributions of different welding parameters in the porosity reduction. T2 - The 14th International Seminar Numerical Analysis of Weldability CY - Graz, Austria DA - 21.09.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Energy absorption KW - Keyhole stability KW - Multi-physics modelling PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64811 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng T1 - A statistical assessment of the laser energy absorption and keyhole stability in high-power laser welding N2 - The behavior of the weld pool in high-power laser beam welding is significantly influenced by laser absorption and keyhole stability, which determines the final weld qualities. However, their dynamic features and multi-coupled interactions make in-depth analyses difficult. This study addresses the challenges by conducting a thorough statistical evaluation of the effects of welding parameters on laser absorption and keyhole fluctuations, using experimental investigations and a well-validated numerical model. From a statistical aspect, the laser energy distribution and the keyhole collapse, commonly considered to be highly time-varying, show clear regularities. Three distinct regions of the time-averaged energy distribution are identified. The possibility of the keyhole collapse positions obeys a universal normal distribution. The statistical data show greater potential in revealing some well-known, industry-related but unclearly explained findings, such as the saturation of the weld penetration with increasing heat input and the physical basis of the contributions of different welding parameters in the porosity reduction. T2 - 78th IIW Annual Assembly CY - Genoa, Italy DA - 22.06.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Energy absorption KW - Keyhole stability PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64810 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng T1 - Prediction of porosity formation in high power laser beam welding using physics informed machine learning framework N2 - The applications of the high-power laser beam welding process are often hindered by the occurrence of the porosity defect. However, an accurate prediction and an insight of the porosity formation are still challenging due to the highly nonlinear physics involved in the dynamic weld pool and keyhole behaviours. In this paper, the effects of relevant physical variables related to the porosity defect are evaluated by utilizing mechanistic modelling and experimental data within a physics-informed machine learning (PIML) framework. With a proper selection of the physical variables (features) in the aspects of keyhole stability, liquid metal flow and weld pool geometry, which correspondingly describes the bubble formation, bubble movement and bubble capture by the solidification front, the PIML shows great superiority in predicting the porosity ratio in the laser welding of aluminium in comparison with conventional ML model using welding parameters. The Shapley Additive Explanations analysis is employed to provide a hierarchical importance of the variables on the defect formation. T2 - 77th IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference CY - Rhodes, Greece DA - 07.07.2024 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Machine learning KW - Porosity KW - Modelling PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61610 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 - Meng, Xiangmeng T1 - Prediction of weld pool and keyhole geometries in high-power laser beam welding through a physics-informed generative approach N2 - The weld pool and keyhole geometries are critical characteristics in evaluating the stability of the high-power laser beam welding (LBW) process and determining the resultant weld quality. However, obtaining these data through experimental or numerical methods remains challenging due to the difficulties in experimental measurements and the high computational demands of numerical modelling. This paper presents a physics-informed generative approach for predicting weld pool and keyhole geometries in the LBW process. With the help of a well experimentally validated numerical model considering the underlying physics in the LBW, the geometries of the weld pool and keyhole under various welding conditions are calculated, serving as the dataset of the generative model. A Conditional Variational Autoencoder (CVAE) model is employed to generate realistic 2D weld pool and keyhole geometries from the welding parameters. We utilize a β-VAE model with the Evidence Lower Bound (ELBO) loss function and include Kullback-Leibler divergence annealing to better optimize model performance and stability during training. The generated results show a good agreement with the ground truth from the numerical simulation. The proposed approach exhibits the potential of physics-informed generative models for a rapid and accurate prediction of the weld pool geometries across a diverse range of process parameters, offering a computationally efficient alternative to full numerical simulations for process optimization and control in laser beam welding processes. T2 - The 45th annual International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics CY - Orlando, FL, USA DA - 12.10.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Generative artificial intelligence KW - Machine Learning KW - Numerical Simulation KW - Weld pool KW - Keyhole dynamics PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64812 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 - Meng, Xiangmeng T1 - Controlling the transport phenomena of filler wire in laser beam welding by magnetohydrodynamics: a theoretical and experimental study N2 - The deep penetration laser beam welding (LBW) has developed to one of the most promising metal joining methods in the modern manufacturing industry. It has well-known advantages of good penetration capacity, low heat input, high reachable welding speed and low welding distortion in comparison to conventional arc welding techniques. However, there are still challenges in LBW making the realization of the advantages difficult, such as porosity or inhomogeneous element distribution when using filler material. The magnetohydrodynamics technique is a promising way to solve these issues by introducing a suitable electromagnetic field, and correspondingly Lorentz force, to control the Transport phenomena in the weld pool. The underlying physics in wire feed laser beam welding with electromagnetic stirring were investigated numerically and experimentally. A three-dimensional transient heat transfer and fluid flow model coupled with dynamic keyhole, magnetic induction and element transport was developed for the first time. The electromagnetic behaviour as well as the temperature and velocity profiles, solidification parameters, keyhole evolution and element transport are calculated. The model is well tested against the experimental results. The beneficial effects from electromagnetic stirring (element homogenization and grain refinement) are explained quantitatively using the numerical data and the results from high-speed imaging, OM, EDX and EBSD. T2 - Adolf Martens Fellowship Colloquium CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 12.12.2019 KW - Laser beam welding KW - MHD PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-50079 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng T1 - Numerical analysis of weld pool behavior in wire feed laser beam welding with oscillating magnetic field N2 - The introduction of an external magnetic field in laser beam welding can bring a lot of beneficial effects e. g. a homogeneous element distribution and grain refinement. However, the physical mechanism has not been fully revealed because it is difficult to describe the weld pool behavior quantitatively. In this work, the influence of an oscillating magnetic field in wire feed laser beam welding is studied using a three-dimensional transient multi-physical model. The magnetohydrodynamics, heat transfer, fluid flow, keyhole dynamics and element transport are all taken into consideration. Under suitable electromagnetic parameters, a significant electromagnetic stirring can be produced in the weld pool by the induced Lorentz force. It shows important influence on the keyhole stability and the fluid flow. The keyhole collapses more frequently at the upper part under the oscillating magnetic field. The forward and downward flow along the central plane of the weld pool is enhanced, which can bring the additional element from the filler wire to the root of the weld pool. There is a good agreement between the numerical results and the experiment results from the high-speed imaging, the optical micrograph and the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. This work provides a fundamental understanding of the relationship between electromagnetic control, weld pool behavior and weld property. T2 - 72nd IIW Annual Assembly CY - Bratislava, Slovakia DA - 07.07.2019 KW - Numerical simulation KW - Weld pool behavior KW - Elemenet transport KW - Magnetic field PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-48486 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Artinov, Antoni A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Experimental and numerical assessment of weld pool behavior and final microstructure in wire feed laser beam welding with electromagnetic stirring N2 - Advantages such as element homogenization and grain refinement can be realized by introducing electromagnetic stirring into laser beam welding. However, the involved weld pool behavior and its direct role on determining the final microstructure have not been revealed quantitatively. In this paper, a 3D transient heat transfer and fluid flow model coupled with element transport and magnetic induction is developed for wire feed laser beam welding with electromagnetic stirring. The magnetohydrodynamics, temperature profile, velocity field, keyhole evolution and element distribution are calculated and analyzed. The model is well tested against the experimental results. It is suggested that a significant electromagnetic stirring can be produced in the weld pool by the induced Lorentz force under suitable electromagnetic parameters, and it shows important influences on the thermal fluid flow and the solidification parameter. The forward and downward flow along the longitudinal plane of the weld pool is enhanced, which can bring the additional filler wire material to the root of the weld pool. The integrated thermal and mechanical impacts of electromagnetic stirring on grain refinement which is confirmed experimentally by electron backscatter diffraction analysis are decoupled using the calculated solidification parameters and a criterion of dendrite fragmentation. KW - Magnetohydrodynamics KW - Weld pool behavior KW - Grain structure KW - Laser beam welding KW - Numerical simulation PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2019.07.021 SN - 1526-6125 VL - 45 SP - 408 EP - 418 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-48611 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 o f 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 - 38th International congress on applications of lasers & electro-optics CY - Orlando, FL, USA DA - 07.10.2019 KW - Magnetohydrodynamics KW - Molten pool dynamics KW - Element transport KW - Laser beam welding PY - 2019 SN - 978-1-940168-1-42 SP - Paper # Macro 403 AN - OPUS4-49664 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Rethmeier, Michael A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng T1 - Project title: Multi-physical simulation of the influence of an auxiliary magnetic field on the process porosity formation during high-power laser beam welding N2 - In this project, a multiphysically coupled numerical model will be developed to quantitatively describe porosity reduction in high-power laser beam welding of up to 10 mm thick AlMg3 using an oscillating magnetic field. The aim is to gain fundamental insights into the physical dependencies of the introduced electromagnetic forces on the melt pool behavior and the reduction of porosity. With the help of the numerical model, the transient, multi-coupled, three-dimensional problem of heat transfer, liquid flow, free surface deformation, and magnetic induction is to be solved, taking into account temperature-dependent material properties. The numerical modelling of the heat source will integrate all relevant physical mechanisms, for instance, multiple reflections of the laser radiation by an advanced ray tracing model, as well as local Fresnel absorption at the keyhole wall. This allows an analysis of the keyhole fluctuations, which have a dominant influence on the formation of process spores during deep penetration welding, based on physical principles. In addition, further physical factors such as the ablation pressure of the evaporating metal, the Laplace pressure, and Marangoni shear stresses are also to be integrated into the model. To evaluate the pore formation and reduction by means of the electromagnetic forces introduced in the molten pool, suitable models for describing the movement of the pores in the melt are to be developed. For the process pores, their movement can be implemented by tracking their surface under consideration of their internal pressure and temperature. With the help of the simulation model, all key factors for the formation of process pores during laser beam welding of the used aluminum alloy, as well as their avoidance, can be decoupled and analyzed. Accompanying welding tests are planned at BAM on a 20 kW fiber laser and a 16 kW disk laser. The magnetic flux density will be up to 500 mT at a maximum frequency of 5 kHz. The experimental results, in particular temperature measurements, weld cross sections, computer tomography, and X-ray examinations, will be used to verify the multiphysical model and its calibration. Moreover, the models will be validated and quantified by in situ high-speed imaging of the keyhole dynamics in a metal/quartz glass configuration with keyhole illumination by a diode laser coaxial to the processing laser. On the basis of the numerical and experimental results, the dependencies between applied magnetic field, melt pool behavior, and porosity formation will be revealed in this project. KW - Laser beam welding KW - Electromagnetic weld pool control KW - Numerical simulation KW - Process porosity PY - 2026 DO - https://doi.org/10.34657/27669 SP - 1 EP - 14 AN - OPUS4-65335 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meng, Xiangmeng A1 - Bachmann, Marcel A1 - Kising, Pascal A1 - Yang, Fan A1 - Rethmeier, Michael T1 - Prediction of weld pool and keyhole geometries in high-power laser beam welding through a physics-informed generative artificial intelligence approach N2 - The weld pool and keyhole geometries are critical characteristics in evaluating the stability of the high-power laser beam welding (LBW) process and determining the resultant weld quality. However, obtaining these data through experimental or numerical methods remains challenging due to the difficulties in experimental measurements and the high computational demands of numerical modelling. This paper presents a physics-informed generative approach for predicting weld pool and keyhole geometries in the LBW process. With the help of a well experimentally validated numerical model considering the underlying physics in the LBW, the geometries of the weld pool and keyhole under various welding conditions are calculated, serving as the dataset of the generative model. A Conditional Variational Autoencoder (CVAE) model is employed to generate realistic 2D weld pool and keyhole geometries from the welding parameters. We utilize a β-VAE model with the Evidence Lower Bound (ELBO) loss function and include Kullback-Leibler divergence annealing to better optimize model performance and stability during training. The generated results show a good agreement with the ground truth from the numerical simulation. The proposed approach exhibits the potential of physics-informed generative models for a rapid and accurate prediction of the weld pool geometries across a diverse range of process parameters, offering a computationally efficient alternative to full numerical simulations for process optimization and control in laser beam welding processes. T2 - International Congress of Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics 2025 CY - Orlando, USA DA - 12.10.2025 KW - Laser beam welding KW - Generative artificial intelligence KW - Machine learning KW - numerical simulation PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-65075 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR 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 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 - 2026 DO - https://doi.org/10.2351/7.0001863 SN - 1938-1387 IS - 38 SP - 012001-1 EP - 012001-9 PB - Laser Institute of America AN - OPUS4-64949 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -