Comparative analysis of experimental and simulated temperature evolution during bidirectional surface polishing by laser remelting performed by means of a cyber-thermophysical system

This study presents a comparison between experimental and numerically simulated temperature variations to occur during bidirectional surface polishing by laser remelting. For this purpose, a cyber-thermophysical system encompassing real-time sensing, thermophysics-based modelling, and digital control was developed. Experimental temperature data were acquired using a two-color infrared pyrometer, while finite element modeling provided simulated temperature distributions based on heat source configuration, material properties, and experimental boundary conditions. The objective of this preliminary work is to identify common thermodynamic trends between simulated and experimental data. This was achieved by assessing the fidelity and robustness of the developed cyber-thermophysical system. The results obtained indicate satisfactory similarities with respect to temperature peaks experienced at laser direction changes as well as with respect to general temporal evolution. The dissimilarities observed were attributed to surface topography, emissivity variations, and transient thermodynamic instabilities. These findings support system’s potential for model-informed, AI-based adaptive control as well as further optimization of surface functionalization strategies.