“Distortion Analysis of Generatively Designed Hinge Bracket Using Meso-Scaled Thermomechanical Simulation With Experimental Validation”

The accuracy of meso-scaled thermomechanical method (TMM) in analysing distortion of hinge bracket additively manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM) is investigated with SS316L as material and optimised design using Generative Design (GD) approach in which loads, boundaries, and constraints are considered as parametric inputs and stress goal as output.

Prior to 3D printing, process simulation for predicting distortion was conducted including a geometrical model with hexahedral mesh type, temperature dependent material and flow curve referred from specialised software. To reduce computational time, a lumping approach with volume fraction was implemented considering heat flux parameters.

For validation purposes, a series of experiments was accomplished using SLM, manual support structure removal, and surface finishing process by sandblasting. Furthermore, the finished bracket was measured using an optical scanner and compared with the simulation result. In conclusion, TMM can predict the distortion accurately with percentage point-by-point and mean error of less than 3% and 1.5%, respectively.

Corresponding author:
Prof. Ir Ts. Dr-Ing. Yupiter HP Manurung
Smart Manufacturing Research Institute
College of Engineering