Residual stress and deformation in wire-feed electron beam additive manufactured aluminum components

Electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM) has broad application prospects in the preparation of large structural components such as those in aerospace structures. It is of great significance to have a deep understanding of the residual stress distribution and deformation of EBAM. A three-dimensional transient thermal–mechanical coupling model was established for the comprehensive investigation of the deformation and residual stress of aluminum alloy components prepared by wire-feed EBAM for the first time. The reliability of the simulation model was verified by comparing the predicted temperature, stress and deformation with experimentally measured values. The influence of heat input on residual stress distribution and deformation was studied using the verified model. The simulation results indicate that reducing heat input is an efficient approach to reducing deformation and residual stress. The developed model can be a powerful tool to optimize process parameters to reduce the residual stress and deformation of EBAM aluminum alloy components.