Comparison of melt pool dimension with in-situ monitored acoustic emission signal in laser powder bed fusion of austenitic stainless steel

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between melt pool dimensions and acoustic emission (AE) signal magnitudes obtained during laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process of austenitic stainless steel. Specifically, by varying laser power and scan speed, the widths, depths and aspect ratios of melt pools were compared with AE signal magnitudes across a frequency range of 100–200 kHz. Design/methodology/approach Experiments were conducted under different laser powers at a fixed scan speed and scan speeds at a fixed laser power. Melt pool dimensions were measured from cross-sectional optical images, and AE signals were obtained using a piezoelectric AE sensor installed beneath the build plate. Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) was applied to AE signals, and the magnitudes of frequency components were obtained. Findings A strong correlation between melt pool dimensions and STFT magnitude was obtained. Pearson correlation coefficients between melt pool dimensions and STFT magnitudes were above 0.9 and the p-values were below 0.05. Increasing the laser energy enlarged the volume of melt pool and intensified the oscillation of melt pool. When scan speed exceeded 1,100 mm/s, STFT magnitude showed a slight increase owing to the increase in the vapor pressure. Originality/value Previous studies used AE signals to detect defects, but this study found a correlation between STFT magnitude and melt pool dimensions in L-PBF process. It was also found that STFT magnitude was more affected by vapor pressure at higher scan speeds. Monitoring STFT magnitude can help to understand melt pool dynamics, maintain process consistency and identify irregularities in real time.