Investigating temperature, stress, and residual stresses in laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing of Inconel 625

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a pivotal method in metal additive manufacturing, enabling the intricate fabrication of complex components. However, the rapid thermal transitions inherent in LPBF can induce residual stresses, potentially leading to defects like distortions, cracks, and delamination. This research aims to investigate the distribution of temperature and stress during the LPBF manufacturing of Inconel 625, as well as the generation of residual stresses. For this purpose, a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of the LPBF process was developed to explore the influence of various factors, including the number of layers, deposition region dimensions, and layer thicknesses, on temperature and stress distribution. Additionally, the study thoroughly examined the residual stress occurred on the part related to post-cooling and their variations after substrate separation. The outcomes reveal that the dimension of the deposition region significantly impacts both temperature and the size of the melt pool. The melt pool depth of 91 μm was calculated from the FE models, closely aligning with the experimentally measured value of 84.7 μm. Furthermore, the separation of the substrate has a notable effect on the distribution of residual stresses in the LPBF specimen. For instance, the residual stress at the center of the first layer decreased from 818 MPa after the cooling process to 108 MPa following substrate separation.