Impact of design strategy favoring powder removal on mechanical performance of bio-inspired porous architectures for laser-based powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing

• DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2024.113240
• Publication Date: 2024-08-10T22:15:44Z
• Authors: Nicolas Cadoret; Julien Chaves-Jacob; Marc-Antoine Celli; Jean-Marc Linares
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; [SPI] Engineering Sciences [physics]; Additive manufacturing; bio inspiration; light-weight structure; Powder removal; powder removal; 03 medical and health sciences; powder bed fusion; Powder bed fusion; Bio inspiration; TA401-492; Light-weight structure; additive manufacturing; Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials

Mass reduction is a concern both in mechanical engineering and living organisms to reduce energy and materials consumption. Lately, transfer of knowledge from biology to engineering has become easier thanks to additive manufacturing. Trabecular bone for example optimally adapts to the mechanical stress it undergoes. Mass reduction methods bio-inspired from trabecular architecture, proposed in the literature, are not always applicable for laser-based powder-bed fusion. In particular, bio-inspired mass reduction methods based on a material removal principle generate porosities throughout a solid initial part which can result in enclosed porosities that trap un-melted powders. Here, we propose a 3D depowderable bio-inspired mass reduction method. Powder removal was controlled in different samples through weighing and X-ray computed microtomography and the impact of the design strategy that ensures correct powder removal on mechanical performance (stiffness) was quantified. Mean performance difference is 10.35 % (between 1.82 % and 26.47 %). For stiff and light parts loaded in bending, the proposed method outperforms parts made of bulk steel alloy by leveraging an architecture bio-inspired from trabecular bone.