Axisymmetric numerical simulation of plastic damage in aluminum alloy induced by long pulsed laser

An axisymmetric mathematical model was established for long pulsed Nd:YAG laser heating of a 2024 aluminum alloy plate. The temperature and thermal stress in the plate were obtained by using the finite element method. In particular, the plastic damage induced by thermal stress was investigated. Meanwhile, the influence of laser intensity distribution (Gaussian and top hat) on the plastic damage was also considered. The results indicate that the plastic damage occurs in the top layer of the plate, where the residual radial stress is tensile and can even reach 250 MPa, approximately. In addition, the plastic damage for the top hat beam judged by the yield time, the range of plastic damage region and the magnitude of residual radial stress is severer than that of the Gaussian beam.