Modelizado multiescala del proceso de aporte por láser de Inconel 718 mediante polvo soplado

Additive manufacturing of metals is a burgeoning sector, although there are still certain domains where it has not yet reached its full potential, particularly in critical components and high-responsibility sectors. This thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the chain of connections that links operating parameters and some microstructural properties. To this end, a multiscale modeling chain has been developed, in three successive blocks, geared at blown powder additive manufacturing of nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718. The different steps of the modelling chain have been validated extensively, making use of advanced characterization methods.

The procedure makes extensive use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools and ray tracing, to study the transport of metallic particles and their interaction with the substrate and the molten pool, through the use of mass, energy, and momentum sources. From a practical perspective, an optimization of the input parameters for a typical three-channel discrete feed nozzle is presented. A correction to the geometric optics models used in the literature is proposed, which is of particular interest for high mass flow rate cases.

The models culminate with a prediction of the crystallographic texture of the deposited tracks, by making use of a new open-source software library and leveraging new cloud-based high-performance computing environments.