Temperature field simulation on WC-12Co cemented carbide formed by laser powder bed fusion

A three-dimensional finite element thermal model was established, combined with the finite element software ANSYS, and the simulation of applying a Gaussian heat source and the printing process of WC-12Co cemented carbide was achieved with the use of APDL commands and the birth-death unit method, and the temperature field distribution of WC-12Co cemented carbide in the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) shaping process was finally obtained, and the effects of different process parameters (laser power, scanning speed) on its temperature field distribution and melt pool characteristics were investigated. The results show that the forming process of WC-12Co cemented carbide in LPBF process can be effectively simulated by using finite elements. In addition, the isotherms located at the front of the heat source are denser than those at the tail, with a larger temperature gradient; and the temperature in the center of the melt pool at the terminal edge of the scanning path is the highest. As the laser power increases and the scanning speed decreases, the width, depth and length of the molten pool increase accordingly. Relevant experiments were used to analyze the effect of different process parameters on grain size, and it is found that the grain size decreases with the increase of scanning speeds and increaseds with the increase of laser power; but too high laser power can cause certain thermal cracking phenomenon.