Comparison between 2D and 3D Thermal Finite Element Models of Directed Energy Deposition

Varying boundary conditions, such as convection, radiation, and contact thermal exchange parameters in Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process modeling, can significantly impact the predicted thermal fields [1] and final properties of a product. The current numerical study analyzes the effect of different boundary conditions on the temperature distribution during DED thanks to a 3D model of AISI M4 tool steel validated by an experimental campaign. It also confirms that a 2D FE model can already provide valuable trends about sensitivity of numerical results to boundary conditions. The accuracy and robustness of the 2D and 3D model predictions are analyzed. The temperature histories of a set of points at different heights in the clad and the melt pool dimensions provide experimental validation.