Advances in the Theory of Surface Growth with Applications to Additive Manufacturing Technologies

Abstract

A vast majority of objects or solids that surround us arise from some surface growth processes. As an example, one can present many technologies in industry, including well-known technologies of crystal growth, laser deposition, solidification of melts, electrolytic formation, pyrolytic deposition, polymerization, concreting, and modern digital additive manufacturing technologies. Similar processes determine the specific features of natural phenomena such as the growth of biological tissues, glaciers, blocks of sedimentary and volcanic rocks, space objects, etc.Recent research has shown that solids formed by growth processes differ in their properties essentially from solids in the traditional view. Moreover, the classical approaches of solid mechanics to modeling the growing solids behavior fail. They should be replaced by new ideas and methods of modern mechanics, mathematics, physics, and engineering sciences. An approach proposed deals with the construction of adequate model of surface growth processes of solids and its application to mechanical problems of additive manufacturing technologies.