Influence of AlSi10Mg Thermophysical Properties on the Melt Pool Morphology During High-Fidelity Simulation of Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an advanced additive manufacturing method, but its productivity is relatively low, which limits its application. Performance can be increased without hardware modifications by enlarging the powder-layer thickness. However, this approach requires deeper investigation because the probability of defects (keyhole porosity, lack of fusion) rises substantially, and experiments become costly since each thickness value requires a separate LPBF run. High-fidelity simulation under such conditions can reduce the experimental workload. Reliable predictions, however, require numerous thermophysical parameters; reported values are often inconsistent or unavailable, and few studies have quantified their influence on simulation outcomes. A Lattice Boltzmann-based model is adopted to simulate the keyhole melting mode of AlSi10Mg. The effects of laser spot diameter, laser absorptivity, and the temperature dependence of thermal diffusivity and surface tension on the results are investigated. Predicted melt-pool morphologies are compared with cross-sections of experimental single tracks.