Analysis of Transient Temperature Distribution During the Selective Laser Sintering of β-tricalcium Phosphate
C-J. Shuai, P-J. Li, P. Feng, H-B. Lu, S-P. Peng and J-L. Liu
A three-dimensional (3-D) thermal model for selective laser sintering (SLS) of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) powder has been developed based on finite element theory. A Gaussian distributed heat load is applied to the sintering region using the ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL). The temperature distribution and change rule are investigated in the sintering process. The results show that the highest temperature lies at the laser spot centre, and the temperature gradually decreases with the increasing distance from the laser spot centre. The sintered shape is concave which is consistent with the isotherms. The densification process of β-TCP occurs where the sintering temperature is over 850ºC. The microstructure test of sintered parts verifies the accuracy and reliability of the simulation results at different temperature distribution regions. These results provide a theoretical basis for optimizing the process parameters of laser sintering.
Keywords: Selective laser sintering (SLS), numerical simulation, thermal model, temperature field, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP)