Computational modeling of residual stress formation during the electron beam melting process for Inconel 718

A computational modeling approach to simulate residual stress formation during the electron beam melting (EBM) process within the additive manufacturing (AM) technologies for Inconel 718 is presented in this paper. The EBM process has demonstrated a high potential to fabricate components with complex geometries, but the resulting components are influenced by the thermal cycles observed during the manufacturing process. When processing nickel based superalloys, very high temperatures (approx. 1000 °C) are observed in the powder bed, base plate, and build. These high temperatures, when combined with substrate adherence, can result in warping of the base plate and affect the final component by causing defects. It is important to have an understanding of the thermo-mechanical response of the entire system, that is, its mechanical behavior towards thermal loading occurring during the EBM process prior to manufacturing a component. Therefore, computational models to predict the response of the system during the EBM process will aid in eliminating the undesired process conditions, a priori, in order to fabricate the optimum component. Such a comprehensive computational modeling approach is demonstrated to analyze warping of the base plate, stress and plastic strain accumulation within the material, and thermal cycles in the system during different stages of the EBM process.