Product Code: ICAL08_1505

Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) Modelling of Laser Cutting
Authors:
Markus Gross, University of Cambridge; Cambridge Great Britain
Presented at ICALEO 2008

One of the major obstacles in the simulation of laser cutting is the wide span of length scales and the high velocities encountered. Additionally the melt breaks up into a fine spray or shower of droplets when exiting the kerf. Hence the scope for modelling this process with traditional finite volume or finite element methods is limited. In this paper the development of a Smooth Particle Hydrodynmaics (SPH) model for laser cutting is introduced. The principle foundations of the method are discussed and results of simulations of the melt flow in narrow kerfs are presented.