An interaction model for laser and powder in wide-beam laser cladding

This research developed an interaction model for the laser and powder during wide-beam laser cladding by lateral powder feeding. According to the wide-beam laser energy distribution and powder concentration distribution, and the geometrical positional relationship between laser beam and powder flow, a wide-beam laser-powder interaction model was built. This interaction model includes laser energy attenuation model and powder particle temperature distribution model. An attenuation coefficient was proposed to describe the laser energy distribution attenuated by the powder flow in laser-powder interaction zone. Furthermore, the effect of main parameters on the interaction model was discussed. The results show that the distribution of the attenuation coefficient and the powder temperature are asymmetrical. Laser power has no effect on the attenuation coefficient, and powder feed rate has no influence on the powder temperature distribution in wide-beam laser cladding.