A finite element model has been developed for the thermal analysis of
a miniature stud-to-plate laser brazing process, and the transient tem
perature fields in the braze joint were analyzed by using an axisymmet
ric model. The finite element program ABAQUS, together with a few user
subroutines; were employed to perform the numerical approximation. Th
e joining materials used were AISI 304 stainless steel and Al 5052 alu
minum, and the alloy 88Al-12Si for the braze filler metal. Nonlinear e
ffect of temperature dependent thermal properties, latent heat and the
convection and radiative heat losses were considered. The FE modeling
was implemented with a non-coupled treatment of heat conduction and f
iller metal flow, while the model was based upon the real-time motion
analysis of the brazing process. Definition of the. FE solution domain
and boundary conditions were crucial to achieve accuracy in predictin
g the transient thermal behavior, possible only with the aid of a high
-speed camera. Numerical results of the temperature fields in the braz
e joint were obtained for typical process parameters. The predicted th
ermal histories show a fairly good agreement with the experimental one
s that were determined by using the thermocouple and infrared temperat
ure measurements.