Publications

Use of Aria to simulate laser weld pool dynamics for neutron generator production

Notz, Patrick N.; Noble, David R.; Martinez, Mario J.; Kraynik, Andrew M.

This report documents the results for the FY07 ASC Integrated Codes Level 2 Milestone number 2354. The description for this milestone is, 'Demonstrate level set free surface tracking capabilities in ARIA to simulate the dynamics of the formation and time evolution of a weld pool in laser welding applications for neutron generator production'. The specialized boundary conditions and material properties for the laser welding application were implemented and verified by comparison with existing, two-dimensional applications. Analyses of stationary spot welds and traveling line welds were performed and the accuracy of the three-dimensional (3D) level set algorithm is assessed by comparison with 3D moving mesh calculations.