Numerical simulation of multi-track laser cladding process

Multi-track laser cladding is necessary in the forming of parts. The overlap between neighbor tracks plays an important role, which determines the quality and surface smoothness of the clad layer. In this paper, numerical simulation of the multi-track laser cladding process is studied. The heat source of laser spot is applied by updating the profile of clad region and the location of the moving laser spot. The clad profile of overlapped track was obtained, from which the surface roughness was analyzed by the variation of overlap ratio. Meanwhile, experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of overlap ratio. The simulated and the experimental results are in good agreement; both show that there is an optimal overlap ratio to achieve best surface roughness.