Theoretical and experimental investigation into laser melting of steel samples

Among the available laser applications, laser melting has turned out to be a powerful technique for the production of mechanically improved surfaces. To enhance the understanding of the laser melting process, investigations into modeling of the heating mechanism initiating the laser melting are necessary. In the present study, a mathematical modeling of the laser melting process is introduced and power requirements for the laser melting are predicted as functions of workpiece properties and velocity. Maximum melt width is predicted analytically and compared with the experimental results. In this regard, an experiment is conducted to melt the mild steel samples with a cw CO₂ laser at different power settings and workpiece velocities. It is found that the melt variables predicted from theory are in agreement with the experimental results.