Modeling of thermal effects during laser microtreatment of rolled carbon steels

The article describes a method for modeling the temperature parameters of laser exposure in the COMSOL software environment (COMSOL Multiphysics PC), which makes it possible
to clean its surface from scale without destroying the surface layer of a steel product, optimize the microstructure and improve the physics-mechanical properties of the working surfaces of
rolled carbon steel.
Based on theoretical concepts of thermal processes that determine the energy and temperature effects of laser radiation, the simulation resulted in the development of equations for the temperature of local heating of the treated surface and the area of radiation coverage per unit time. Using them in a numerical experiment, the characteristics of thermal heating-cooling
cycles during laser scanning were determined during surface cleaning of rolled steel samples of grade 20 from scale consisting of magnetite (Fe3O4). The values of the heating temperatures
of scale and steel during the cleaning process were obtained, and their distribution at different depths of scale and steel was determined during repeated scanning with a continuous laser
beam. A slight accumulation of thermal energy from the nearest thermal cycles (laser scanning passes) was revealed. During all thermal cycles, an increase in the stationary surface temperature
of the samples by only 100 degrees was recorded, which does not affect the structural stability of the steel surface.
The research results served as the basis for the registration of a patent of the Russian Federation for a method of laser micromachining of steels (RU 2 836 694 C1).

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