Domain-independence verification with respect to modelled half-width

Determine domain independence of the finite-volume thermal weld-pool model with respect to the modelled transverse half-width, thereby verifying that the finite-fin boundary treatment and computational-domain truncation do not materially affect the calculated weld-pool response.

Background

The computational model represents only half of the sheet width and replaces the unmeshed remainder with a finite-fin boundary condition. Because the transverse diffusion time and computational cost depend on the modelled half-width, the choice of domain width can influence both convergence and the calculated thermal field.

The authors state that a formal domain-independence result has not yet been reported and list domain independence with respect to modelled half-width among the remaining numerical-verification studies.