Jet impingement onto a conical hole in relation to laser machining

In the present study. laser heating process including the assisting gas jet is investigated numerically. Three-dimensional heating with assisting gas flow situation is modelled. Steel is employed in the simulations and airjet, as an assisting gas, is introduced impinging onto the workpiece surface coaxially with the laser beam. A numerical method using a control volume approach is introduced to solve continuity, momentum and energy equations in the fluid (air) side, while energy equation allowing conduction and phase change processes is solved in the solid region. The flow field is determined by solving the Navier-Stokes equation for compressible flow, and the turbulence effects are accounted for by the Reynolds stress turbulence (RSTM) model. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.