*Article* **Thermal Stress Cycle Simulation in Laser Cladding Process of Ni-Based Coating on H13 Steel**

**Fangping Yao 1,\* and Lijin Fang 2**


**Abstract:** In order to improve the work efficiency and save resources in the process of laser cladding on the H13 steel surface, based on COMSOL, by combining computer simulation and experiment, a plane continuous heat source model was used to simulate and analyze the temperature and stress field. The optimal power and scanning speed were obtained. It is found in the simulation process that the thermal sampling points stress increases with the increase of laser power and scanning speed. Because of the existence of solid–liquid phase variation in the laser cladding process, there are two peaks in the maximum thermal stress cycle curve of the sample points located in the molten pool, and the starting and ending time of each sample point's peak value is basically the same. When the sample point is outside the molten pool, because the metal at the corresponding location is not melted, so there is no obvious peak value in the thermal stress cycle curve. With the increase of cladding layer depth corresponding to each sample point, the variation range of the two alternating thermal stress peaks increases first and then decreases, while the duration increases. According to the peak value of alternating thermal stress at the sampling point, the molten pool depth can be predicted. The residual stress analysis of the cladding layer is carried out according to the analysis results of temperature field and stress field. Through the actual cladding experiment, it is found that the depth of molten pool in the simulation results is basically consistent with the experimental results. All simulation results are verified through actual cladding experiments.

**Keywords:** laser cladding; H13 steel; thermal stress cycle; numerical simulation; unstable alternating thermal stress; residual stress
