The interaction of continuous wave(CW) fiber laser with Ti-6Al-4V alloy is investigated numerically and experimentally at different laser fluence values and ambient pressures of N_2 atmosphere to determine the melting time threshold of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. A 2D-axisymmetric numerical model considering heat transfer and laminar flow is established to describe the melting process. The simulation results indicate that material melts earlier at lower pressure(8.0 Pa) than at higher pressure(8.8×10~4 Pa) in several milliseconds with the same laser fluence. The experimental results demonstrate that the melting time threshold at high laser fluence(above 1.89×10~8 W/m^2) is shorter for lower pressure(vacuum), which is consistent with the simulation. While the melting time threshold at low laser fluence(below 1.89×10~8 W/m^2) is shorter for higher pressure. The possible aspects which can affect the melting process include the increased heat loss induced by the heat conduction between the metal surface and the ambient gas with the increased pressure, and the absorption variation of the coarse surface resulted from the chemical reaction.
展开▼
