In this work, a 2D-thermal model of laser cladding (also called Directed Energy Deposition) of composite coating (316L stainless steel reinforced by hard WC carbide particles) was developed. The temperature field and its time evolution were computed by the Finite Element software Lagamine and then compared to experimental measurements. Indeed, in a related work, the effects of the high temperatures on the WC particles in contact with the molten metal and the resulting microstructure at the end of the fabrication were evaluated by means of different experimental techniques.

Thus, correlations between simulated thermal histories and microscopic analysis as well as thermocouple records were established. The temperature distribution in the substrate allows the prediction of the depths of the melt pool as well as the thermal histories of the different parts of the clad. Such a model is of great interest and can be applied in situ-calculations to offer quick data about the influences of the process parameters on the properties of the built part.