Design for additive manufacturing for prediction of deformations and residual stresses on topologically optimised structure

Abstract

The flexibility offered by additive manufacturing (AM) to manufacture complex geometries has strengthened the production of topologically optimised parts following functional requirements. Production of these complex topologically optimised geometries through AM is not devoid of defects. Design for AM must address this issue, especially the deformation and residual stress generated during the part build, which is common in almost all the existing AM processes. This paper proposes a methodology to optimise the shape of the part and then use the systematically planned experiments to find the optimum process setting to minimise the studied defects. A three-dimensional mathematical model was developed and topologically optimised using the finite element method. The AM process simulation used the optimised structure to predict the structure's deformation and residual stress distribution. The study helps minimise the occurrence of studied defects and provides insight into their occurrence and regions which may be predominantly affected by these defects.