Orthogonal dual-channel single-camera spectral imaging for online measurement of three-dimensional space–time evolution of temperature field in laser melt pool

Current temperature measurement technology in laser manufacturing cannot obtain the internal three-dimensional (3D) temperature distribution of the melt pool. Necessary information for laser-manufacturing process optimization is lacking, including the melt pool depth and depth-to-width ratio. We propose a method for 3D temperature measurement based on orthogonal dual-channel single-camera spectral imaging. The 3D temperature field distribution of the melt pool can be obtained by collecting projected radiation data from two perpendicular angles. Use of a single monochrome camera for spectral imaging at three wavelengths ensures excellent spatial and temporal consistency during measurements. To verify the feasibility of the method, we measured the 3D temperature field in a melt pool of 304 stainless steel irradiated by a Gaussian laser beam (continuous laser, 500 W) with different irradiation times. The results indicate that the temperature field exhibits an approximately axisymmetric distribution on each cross-section at different depths. The temperature is highest in the center and gradually decreases around it. As the depth increases, the high-temperature area (>1730 K) gradually becomes smaller, and the temperature of each cross-section decreases. The maximum temperature, depth, width, and depth-to-width ratio of the melt pool at different times were obtained from the measured 3D temperature distributions. With an irradiation time of 0–80 s, the maximum temperature of the melt pool exhibited three stages: rapid increase (20–2230 K), slow increase (2230–2280 K), and stabilization. The growth of the width and depth of the melt pool indicated a similar process, increasing rapidly at first and gradually slowing. The depth-to-width ratio decreased rapidly at first and gradually stabilized. The proposed method for 3D temperature measurement has potential use in laser manufacturing for process control and quality improvement.