Numerical Investigation and Statistical Analysis of Laser Bending of Titanium Sheets

This paper presents a numerical investigation and statistical analysis of laser bending of Titanium sheets. The aim of the present simulation is to identify the response through response surface methodology related to bending angle and characterize the effects of input parameters: laser power, spot diameter, scanning speed and plate thickness. The numerical simulations are carried out based on the four factors, central composite face centered design. The statistical software Design-Expert® is used to create the design layout and to obtain the final regression equation. The numerical simulation is carried out by implementing a Gaussian surface heat flux, and convection–radiation boundary conditions through a commercial finite element software COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS. Investigations reveal that bending angle increases with laser power and decreases with the increase in scanning speed, spot diameter and plate thickness. The optimum process parameters for the target bending angle are also found based on misimisation of processing time and operating energy.