Process Microstructure Coupling in Reduced Gravity Laser Welding via Open-Source Multiphysics Simulation Framework

TL;DR

This paper presents an open-source multiphysics simulation framework to study how reduced gravity affects laser welding microstructures, aiding in the development of in-space manufacturing techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a novel open-source simulation platform combining CFD and cellular automata to model microstructure evolution under different gravity conditions in laser welding.

Findings

Reduced gravity suppresses buoyancy-driven convection.

Vacuum increases laser energy deposition.

Microgravity promotes equiaxed grain formation.

Abstract

Supplying spare parts from Earth for in space repair is economically prohibitive and logistically slow, posing a major barrier to sustainable space operations. As lunar and Martian missions accelerate in the coming decades, the feasibility of in-situ repair methods, particularly laser based welding, must be rigorously evaluated. The micro scale physics governing weld quality are fundamentally altered by variations in gravity and ambient pressure, yet their coupled influence across different welding regimes remains poorly understood. This work introduces a fully open-source thermo-fluid-microstructure modeling framework with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and cellular automata (CA) to quantify how gravitational conditions reshape weld pool behavior across multiple welding regimes and spatial scales. The framework further enables prediction of the resulting microstructure from imposed process parameters, providing an accessible pathway for future research in in space manufacturing (ISM). As a demonstration, the article analyzes laser welding of Al6061 across three process regimes (conduction, transition, and keyhole) and four gravitational environments (Earth, Moon, Mars, and International Space Station (ISS)). Analysis reveals that reduced gravity suppresses buoyancy-driven convection, thereby altering melt pool geometries. Vacuum conditions increase laser energy deposition, while microgravity promotes equiaxed grain formation via reduced melt convection. The framework captures keyhole dynamics, thermal histories, and grain morphologies with high fidelity, validated against experimental data. These findings establish process microstructure relationships critical for reliable metallic fabrication in space and provide a reproducible platform for future in-space manufacturing research.