AbstractThe experimental results of surface melting of metallic specimen, subjected to short and intense electron beam pulses (energy densities are in the range of 5 × 106 to 5 × 107 J/m2 and pulse time vary from 5 to 10 ms) can be described by a simplified energy balance for the melting process; melting and heat conduction are the main physical processes involved in the problem.These and other empirical observations (proof of convective motion in the liquid pool) allowed the derivation of a semi-empirical treatment for a concentrated energy pulse and the development of an analytical model in the case of a one-dimensional geometry.This model allows a calculation of the melt penetration and shows a good agreement with experimental results obtained for stainless steel and aluminium.