Effect of temperature on the evolved microstructure during Laser Beam Forming of sheet steels

Laser Beam Forming (LBF) being a novel technique and non-contact manufacturing process, employs laser beam as the tool of shaping and bending metal sheets into different shapes and curvatures for various applications. LBF is a hightemperature process, where rapid heating and cooling occurs causing microstructural changes like dynamic recrystallization and phase changes. The study becomes necessary to ensure that the structural integrity of the processed material is not compromised. Hence, the investigation focuses on the effect of temperature on the developed microstructure during the LBF process. The design of experiment was considered, using three levels and five factors. The experimentally measured curvatures were validated with the predicted measured curvatures, which were found to be in agreement. The result shows that the developed ferrite and pearlite grains were due to the heating and cooling. Furthermore, the average grain sizes at a low energy density of about 355°C and high energy density of about 747°C were found to be about 10 μm and 6 μm respectively. It is implied that the high temperature from the high laser energy aided the deformation of the grains significantly. However, such high temperature must be closely monitored so to avoid metallurgical notches in the processed component.