Application of similarity theory in the laser forming process

Laser forming is a flexible forming technology. The deformation in the laser forming process primarily depends on process parameters, workpiece geometry and material properties. To acquire a comprehensive understanding of the deformation, numerous experiments are needed. However, sometimes the plate is huge, which leads to a high experimental expense. To reduce the number and the expense of the experiments, similarity method is adopted and the similarity conditions are derived using the dimensions theory. Numerical simulations of the real and similar plates are carried out. The comparison between the real and similar plate shows a good similarity in the temperature and deformation field.