Manufacturability of AlSi10Mg overhang structures fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Han, Quanquan; Gu, Heng; Soe, Shwe; Setchi, Rossi; Lacan, Franck; Hill, Jacob

Abstract

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The main advantage of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is its use for directly manufacturing metal components with highly complex geometries. But the LPBF manufacture of overhang structures, also known as downward-facing surfaces, is a challenge because of the possibility of incurring distortion and dross defects. This paper presents a systematic examination of the manufacturability and structural integrity of AlSi10Mg overhang structures fabricated by LPBF using computational and experimental techniques. The experimental and simulation results indicate that the use of support structures facilitates the manufacturability and structural integrity of both full-circle and half-circle overhang structures. The influence of supports on circularity was found to be more beneficial as the diameter increased above 15 mm. The experiments also suggest that the use of supports plays a significant role in maintaining mechanical performance by successful fabrication of downward-facing surfaces free of dross defects. From a design perspective, small overhang features are preferable to large overhangs, especially when support removal is impractical. This study significantly contributes to design for metal additive manufacturing by providing an improved understanding of the manufacturability of overhang structures in applications intended for lightweight structural performance.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 29, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Oct 31, 2018
• Publication Date: Dec 15, 2018
• Deposit Date: Aug 22, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 23, 2019
• Journal: Materials and Design
• Print ISSN: 0261-3069
• Electronic ISSN: 0264-1275
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 160
• Pages: 1080-1095
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2018.10.043
• Keywords: Laser powder bed fusion; Additive manufacturing; AlSi10Mg alloy; Manufacturability; Overhang structure; Mechanical behaviour
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/2368044
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2018.10.043
• Related Public URLs: http://orca.cf.ac.uk/116476/
• Contract Date: Aug 22, 2019