ANALYSIS OF MELTING AROUND A MOVING HEAT-SOURCE

This paper presents an analysis for simulating melting heat transfer around a moving, horizontal, cylindrical heat source. The melt domain is divided into two regions, namely, the close-contact region and the melt pool region. Two mathematical models are formulated and solution procedures are developed accordingly. The temperature and the flow fields in the two regions are calculated for a constant surface temperature heat source and the resulting velocity of the source and motion and shape of the interface are determined. The effects of the prescribed surface temperature of the source and its density, as well as influence of natural convection in the melt pool, are investigated and reported. The predicted melt flow structure and the motion and shape of the solid-liquid interface are found to be in good agreement with the experimental observations when natural convection in the melt is included in the model.