Comparison of Residual Stresses in Inconel 718 Simple Parts Made by Electron Beam Melting and Direct Laser Metal Sintering

Abstract

Residual stress profiles were mapped using neutron diffraction in two simple prism builds of Inconel 718: one fabricated with electron beam melting (EBM) and the other with direct laser metal sintering. Spatially indexed stress-free cubes were obtained by electrical discharge machining (EDM) equivalent prisms of similar shape. The (311) interplanar spacings from the EDM sectioned sample were compared to the interplanar spacings calculated to fulfill stress and moment balance. We have shown that applying stress and moment balance is a necessary supplement to the measurements for the stress-free cubes with respect to accurate stress calculations in additively manufactured components. In addition, our work has shown that residual stresses in electron beam melted parts are much smaller than that of direct laser metal sintered parts most likely due to the powder preheating step in the EBM process.