Numerical simulation of laser ultrasonic detection of the surface microdefects on laser powder bed fusion additive manufactured 316L stainless steel

A numerical model is presented in this article to investigate the interactions between laser generated ultrasonic and the microdefects (0.01 to 0.1 mm), which are on the surface of the laser powder bed fusion additive manufactured 316L stainless steel. Firstly, the influence of the transient sound field and detection positions on Rayleigh wave signals are investigated. The interactions between the varied microdefects and the laser ultrasonic are studied. It is shown that arrival time of reflected Rayleigh (RR) waves wave is only related to the location of defects. The depth can be checked from the feature point Q, the displacement amplitude and time delay of converted transverse (RS) wave, while the width information can be evaluated from the RS wave time delay. With the aid of fitting curves, it is found to be linearly related. This simulation study provides a theoretical basis for quantitative detection of surface microdefects of additive manufactured 316L stainless steel components.