Extended Studies on Bowl-shaped Laser Forming of 304 Stainless Steel Circular Plates Using a Spiral Scanning Scheme
K. Paramasivan, Sandip Das, M. Sundar and Dipten Misra
A systematic investigation with a spiral scanning laser forming scheme has been explored for production of a bowl-shaped surface from a circular 304 stainless steel plate. Combined experimental and numerical studies are conducted to explore the effects of spiral scanning path on the final shape of the 304 stainless steel circular plate. ANSYS finite element analysis (FEA) software has been used to simulate the temperature distribution and deformation of the 304 stainless steel circular plate. The quality of the final shape is confirmed by comparing the average 𝑧-displacement and relative variation of 𝑧-displacement (RVZD) at the outer circumference of the plate top surface. The results revealed that the lowest radius of a spiral with the highest number of spiral turns (within the present range of study) would provide a better bowl-shape with minimal distortions at the outer circumference on the top surface; moreover, when spiral irradiation is used, a better bowl shape, with a higher uniformity in displacement at the outer rim, is obtained with a plate having thickness larger than 1.0 mm.
Keywords: Fibre laser, 304 stainless steel, circular plates, laser forming, finite element analysis (FEA), ANSYS, spiral scheme, bowl-shaped, relative variation of 𝑧-displacement (RVZD)