Simulating chemical mixing and molten pool shape in dissimilar welds using thermal fluid dynamics

Estimating the properties of dissimilar metal welded joints made using modern high-energy beam techniques presents significant challenges due to the complex nature of the process. These complexities arise from the different thermal and mechanical properties of the materials involved. The properties of a welded joint are primarily determined by the element mixing and final chemical composition when two dissimilar metals are fused together, or when a dissimilar filler material is used. Hence, a representative model capable of tracking elemental distribution and temperature is essential for accurately estimating the micro-scale and macro-scale mechanical properties of the joint, thus optimising the joining process. In this work, a high-fidelity thermal fluid flow model in the multiComponentlaserbeamFoam computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver is used to simulate the process of laser beam welding. For this purpose, the joining process of AISI 304 stainless steel with a low alloy steel filler material (G3Si1) is simulated. This framework is rigorously validated with experimental results showing the capabilities of such modelling approach. Different strategies to model the filler and material properties are explored: a stationary filler model, applied through the parent material's thickness, was found to accurately mirror experimental results. This model is then used to study the flow properties, thermocapillary effect, and diffusion on the intermixing of composition, aspects that have not been previously examined in depth. The thermocapillary forces were concluded to be the most significant, dictating the peak composition value, the shape and topology of the molten pool. Diffusion fluxes were found to be negligible and not responsible for the majority of the mixing.