Phase field as a front propagation method for modeling grain growth in additive manufacturing

TL;DR

This paper introduces a phase-field front-propagation model for simulating grain growth in additive manufacturing, capturing microstructure evolution efficiently under complex thermal conditions.

Contribution

It develops a mesoscopic model combining phase-field and heat transfer to predict grain growth during additive manufacturing processes.

Findings

Model accurately simulates grain growth in 2D and 3D.

The approach is efficient for multi-pass, multi-layer builds.

Material and process parameters significantly influence microstructure evolution.

Abstract

A mesoscopic grain-envelope model applying a phase-field front-propagation method is developed to simulate grain growth under additive manufacturing process conditions. The envelope represents the outer surface of dendritic grains through a diffuse interface. While a modified heat-conduction model that incorporates moving heat sources and latent-heat release provides the evolution of local thermal field. Envelope propagation is determined from microscopic-solvability-based kinetic law. The model is validated through two- and three-dimensional simulations and subsequently applied to examine the influence of material and process parameters on microstructure evolution. The results demonstrate that the proposed mesoscopic model offers an efficient and predictive approach for modeling grain growth during multi-pass and multi-layer build-up in additive manufacturing.