Finite element simulation of laser cladding for tool steel repair

Laser cladding is a coating technique, wherein several layers of clad materials are deposited over a substrate so as to enhance the physical properties of the work-piece such as wear resistance, corrosion resistance etc. Strong interfacial bond with minimum dilution between the material layers is a pre-requisite of the process. This technique also finds widespread applications in repair and restoration of aerospace, naval, automobile components. A thermomechanical finite element models is developed wherein the Gaussian moving heat source is modelled along with element birth and death technique to simulate powder injection laser cladding of CPM9V over H13 tool steel, which is extensively used for repair of dies. The present work focuses on predicting the clad geometry and other clad characteristics such as the heat affected zone, dilution region and the subsequent residual stress evolution. It is expected that this knowledge can be used for repair of structures subjected to cyclic thermomechanical loads.