WHITE PAPER
Effect of Residual Stresses on the Mechanical Properties of TPMS Lattices
In recent years, the use of triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) lattice structures has gained popularity due to their advantages like high surface to volume ratio and their lightweight potential, and they can be seen in many fields, including aerospace and medical applications. The TPMS structures can be fabricated using additive manufacturing (AM) methods like the laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) process. During the PBF-LB/M process, the transient temperature change is caused by the cyclic nature of the thermal load, resulting in the accumulation of residual stresses (RS) leading to dimensional inaccuracies and warpage. These can severely impact the loading capacity and quality of the PBF-LB/M part.
The design of the specimens and simulations presented in this document were performed at Ansys by Hrushikesh Mapari, Dr. Enrique Escobar de Obaldia, and Dr. Alexandre Matei. The printing of the specimens and experiments were conducted at the Digital Additive Production (DAP) Chair, RWTH Aachen University, with help from Henrik Kruse and Prof. Johannes H. Schleifenbaum.