An optimal control problem for single-spot pulsed laser welding

Abstract We consider an optimal control problem for a single-spot pulsed laser welding problem. The distribution of thermal energy is described by quasilinear heat equation. Our emphasis on materials which tend to suffer from hot cracking when welded, such as aluminum alloys. A simple precursor the occurrence cracks velocity solidification front. therefore formulate whose objective contains term penalizes excessive velocities. function be optimized power over time, subject pointwise lower and upper bounds. describe finite element discretization projected gradient scheme its solution. Numerical experiments material data representing EN AW 6082-T6 alloy exhibit interesting pulse patterns perform significantly better than standard ramp-down patterns.