On the incorporation of a micromechanical material model into the inherent strain method—Application to the modeling of selective laser melting

Abstract

When developing reliable and useful models for selective laser melting processes of large parts, various simplifications are necessary to achieve computationally efficient simulations. Due to the complex processes taking place during the manufacturing of such parts, especially the material and heat source models influence the simulation results. If accurate predictions of residual stresses and deformation are desired, both complete temperature history and mechanical behavior have to be included in a thermomechanical model. In this article, we combine a multiscale approach using the inherent strain method with a newly developed phase transformation model. With the help of this model, which is based on energy densities and energy minimization, the three states of the material, namely, powder, molten, and resolidified material, are explicitly incorporated into the thermomechanically fully coupled finite-element-based process model of the micromechanically motivated laser heat source model and the simplified layer hatch model.