ANALYSIS OF TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN LASER ALLOYING OF PURE COPPER

In many cases, the use of copper is limited by the unsatisfactory properties of its surface layer, i.e., low hardness and wear resistance. Laser surface-layer treatment may be a better alternative to other techniques used in surface engineering intended for the elements, whose high conductivity, combined with high functional properties, is required. In the present work, laser alloying of pure copper with Ni powder is performed. Thermographic measurements during the process and measurements of the melt-pool dimensions after the alloying are performed. A 3-D model of a cylindrical specimen is developed. The enthalpy-based material model involving the phase change is applied. The nickel powder is taken into account with an appropriate value of the workpiece absorptance in the heat flux boundary condition imposed in the moving laser spot area. This study utilized the ANSYS-based Simulation software. Results of the temperature simulation show acceptable agreement with the experiment. The developed model can be used to predict the temperature distribution and identify the workpiece absorptance.