Literature review on simulations for temperature, stress, and deformation during Electron Beam Melting and development of a preliminary model

Sammanfattning

Electron Beam Melting (EBM) or electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB) is a sophisticated Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology which is capable to manufacture complex geometries utilized in biomedical or aerospace industries. At many occasions, EBM manufacturing may fail due to thermal stress and deformation. To address these problems, a good computational framework is needed to minimize trial-and error experimentation. Although commercial simulation software is available for a comparable process called laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB), no software is available for EBM. In this study, the EBM process was exploring through literature review and developing a multi-physics preliminary model using COMSOL Multiphysics which can be applied with the combination of Heat Transfer Module and Structural Mechanics Module. Existing simulations approaches for temperature distribution and thermal stresses or deformation studied by literature review. Due to lack of comprehensive literature, a preliminary macroscale thermomechanical model was developed in this study and observed different physics, especially distortion and thermal stress for a simplified geometry/process in EBM.