SLM lattice structures: Properties, performance, applications and challenges

Maconachie, Tobias; Leary, Martin; Lozanovski, Bill; Xuezhe, Zhang; Qian, Ma; Faruque, Omar; Brandt, Milan

doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2019.108137

Cited by 808 publications

(354 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…It promotes the possibility of producing customized metal components in a cost-effective manner, allowing great flexibility in production; the design freedom allows improving the efficiency [7] and the functionality [8,9] of existing designs, as well as the possibility to incorporate more complex features without drastically increasing the costs. This aspect includes the possibility to create features not fabricable conventionally, such as internal structures, e.g., lattice structures [10] or channels [11]. SLM permits shortening the supply chain and the lead time by replacing some production processes with a single step or combining different sub-elements in a single component [12,13], thereby reducing or in some cases eliminating the assembly operations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Processing of Complex SLM Parts by Barrel Finishing

et al. 2020

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Selective laser melting (SLM) enables the production of metal complex shapes that are difficult or impossible to obtain with conventional production processes. However, the attainable surface quality is insufficient for most applications; thus, a secondary finishing is frequently required. Barrel finishing is an interesting candidate but is often applied without consistent criteria aimed at finding processing parameters. This work presents a methodology based on Bagnold number evaluation and bed behavior diagram, developed on experimental apparatus with different charges and process parameters. The experimentation on an industrial machine and the profilometric analysis allowed the identification of appropriate process parameters and charge media for finishing the investigated materials (Ti6Al4V and Inconel718). Two case studies, characterized by complex shapes, were considered, and consistent surface measures allowed understanding the capability of the technology.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Processing of Complex SLM Parts by Barrel Finishing

et al. 2020

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“…Few studies have used the heat-resistant, load-bearing structure for the background of lightweight design. There were various studies focused on lattice topologies which generated a high porosity up to 90% [22]. The heat resistant load-bearing structure is made of Inconel718 superalloy, and the optimized pore area needs to be filled with lattice structure at medium and high relative density to ensure the mechanical safety margin of the structure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Lattice Mechanical Properties for Lightweight Heat-Resistant Load-Bearing Structure Design

Wang

Zhou

et al. 2020

Materials

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Heat-resistant, load-bearing components are common in aircraft, and they have high requirements for lightweight and mechanical performance. Lattice topology optimization can achieve high mechanical properties and obtain lightweight designs. Appropriate lattice selection is crucial when employing the lattice topology optimization method. The mechanical properties of a structure can be optimized by choosing lattice structures suitable for the specific stress environment being endured by the structural components. Metal lattice structures exhibit excellent unidirectional load-bearing performance and the triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) porous structure can satisfy multi-scale free designs. Both lattice types can provide unique advantages; therefore, we designed three types of metal lattices (body-centered cubic (BCC), BCC with Z-struts (BCCZ), and honeycomb) and three types of TPMS lattices (gyroid, primitive, and I-Wrapped Package (I-WP)) combined with the solid shell. Each was designed with high level of relative density (40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80%), which can be directly used in engineering practice. All test specimens were manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM) technology using Inconel 718 superalloy as the material and underwent static tensile testing. We found that the honeycomb test specimen exhibits the best strength, toughness, and stiffness properties among all structures evaluated, which is especially suitable for the lattice topology optimization design of heat-resistant, unidirectional load-bearing structures within aircraft. Furthermore, we also found an interesting phenomenon that the toughness of the primitive and honeycomb porous test specimens exhibited sudden increases from 70% to 80% and from 50% to 60% relative density, respectively, due to their structural characteristics. According to the range of the exponent value n and the deformation laws of porous structures, we also concluded that a porous structure would exhibit a stretching-dominated deformation behavior when exponent value n < 0.3, a bending-dominated deformation behavior when n > 0.55, and a stretching-bending-dominated deformation behavior when 0.3 < n < 0.55. This study can provide a design basis for selecting an appropriate lattice in lattice topology optimization design.

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“…Until now, much research has been carried out focusing on L-PBF manufactured lattice structures [15,16]. Investigations have focused on the influence of process parameters [17], the influence of different build directions [18], and the influence of a supplementary heat treatment on the mechanical performance of lattice structures [19,20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In regard to the cyclic material behavior of L-PBF-manufactured lattice structures, it has been stated that these properties are mainly affected by the type, size, and relative density of the cell, as well as the mechanical properties of the corresponding bulk material [16,21]. Furthermore, numerical simulations of additively manufactured lattice structures have already been carried out, e.g., by Zargarian et al [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Damage Tolerance Evaluation of E-PBF-Manufactured Inconel 718 Strut Geometries by Advanced Characterization Techniques

et al. 2020

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By means of electron beam powder bed fusion (E-PBF), highly complex lightweight structures can be manufactured within short process times. Due to the increasing complexity of producible components and the entangled interplay of damage mechanisms, common bulk material properties such as ultimate tensile or fatigue strength are not sufficient to guarantee safe and reliable use in demanding applications. Within this work, the damage tolerance of E-PBF-manufactured Ni-based alloy Inconel 718 (IN 718) strut geometries under uniaxial cyclic loading was investigated supported by several advanced measurement techniques. Based on thermal and electrical measurements, the failure of single struts could reliably be detected, revealing that continuous monitoring is applicable for such complex geometries. Process-induced surface roughness was found to be the main reason for early failure during cyclic loading. Thus, adequate post-processing steps have to be established for complex geometries to significantly improve damage tolerance and, eventually, in-service properties.

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SLM lattice structures: Properties, performance, applications and challenges

Cited by 808 publications

References 114 publications

Post-Processing of Complex SLM Parts by Barrel Finishing

Post-Processing of Complex SLM Parts by Barrel Finishing

Evaluating Lattice Mechanical Properties for Lightweight Heat-Resistant Load-Bearing Structure Design

Damage Tolerance Evaluation of E-PBF-Manufactured Inconel 718 Strut Geometries by Advanced Characterization Techniques

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