Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have made a recent discovery in managing stress in large-scale additive manufacturing processes. Residual stress (RS) in metallic parts during printing can lead to cracks and irreversible damage. This issue is particularly critical in industries like aerospace and defense, where reliability is paramount.
Through computational modeling, researchers identified the root causes of RS and developed strategies to mitigate its effects. Their solution involves strategically adding support material, such as rounded filets or chamfers, to critical regions of the printed part. By doing so, they prevent the concentration of stress, reducing the likelihood of part failure.
The implications of this research extend beyond specific industries, as it applies to any metal 3D printing process. Large-scale additive manufacturing, in particular, stands to benefit from these findings, as RS effects are magnified in bigger parts.
Published in the 11th CIRP Global Web Conference, the study was led by Ritin Mathews, alongside Jaydeep Karandikar, Christopher Tyler, and Scott Smith, all from ORNL’s Manufacturing Science Division.
Funding for the project was provided by the Department of Defense Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program, with research conducted at the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL.
You can read the research paper titled “Residual stress accumulation in large-scale Ti-6Al-4V wire-arc additive manufacturing” at this link.
Source: ornl.gov
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