Shape of the melt pool produced by a moving Gaussian heat source

A new dimensionless form of the solution to the problem of a Gaussian heat source in steady state on a semi-infinite solid is presented. Applying dimensional analysis, it is shown that dimensionless expressions of all characteristic values associated to an isotherm, as its maximum width or depth, are function only of the Rykalin number, Ry, and the dimensionless distribution parameter of the source, σ∗. Maps delimiting domains of Ry and σ∗ that give specific regimes of the solution are developed. Using these maps, it is possible to know a priori the regime expected for the solution without solving the equation. The proposed expressions can be useful to predict the behaviour of the weld width and depth as function of process parameters in a number of processes involving a Gaussian heat source. © 2021, International Institute of Welding.