Components with complex features that are designed with their function as a core aspect often are not viable to be manufactured with traditional methods. This has been a bottleneck in the past, leading to heavier parts with various sub-assemblies and a significant waste of material. With the emergence of additive manufacturing (AM) technology manufacturing of complex components has now turned into reality. Within AM, the laser-based powder-based fusion (LPBF) method is one of the most widely adopted methods to manufacture near net shape complex metal components. However, to be implemented on a larger scale various hurdles must be mitigated first.

One of the main persistent issues in LPBF is of residual stresses (RS), which are formed due to repeated sequences of heating and cooling, creating a high thermal gradient between the layers. These RS can play a significant role in the component’s functionality during service, but also can affect the manufacturing process. Therefore, a detailed investigation into the formation and control of RS is of foremost importance. This thesis aims at shedding light on various aspects of the RS formation especially, the effect of build orientations and different scan strategies. For this purpose, Inconel 718 (IN718) was selected as a material for investigation due to its wide use in gas turbine components and good weldability making it a good material for additive manufacturing processes.

L-shaped components and test cubes were prepared for residual stress mapping and microstructure study. The RS were measured using neutron and X-ray diffraction methods where applicable. From the investigations, it was revealed that the L-shape components built in different orientations showed significant variation in RS magnitude, but a general trend of RS distribution with tensile stresses at the surface and compressive at the bulk for all the components. A simplified finite element model for RS prediction was established and validated based on the experimental results. Similarly, the use of different scan strategies can lead to a different magnitude of RS for the L-shape components. The remelting strategy with remelting done after every 3rd printed layer seems to decrease the RS magnitude in comparison to the counterparts printed without remelting. This has also been verified with a simplified finite element simulation. The microstructure study showed that crystallographic texture can also vary with the different scan strategies and no significant preferred orientations of the grains were found with the remelting done at every 3rd printed layer. However, with the total fill strategy, strong crystallographic texture was observed in the scan direction. Further investigations into the remelting scan strategies with different variables of remelting such as power, speed, and number of layers between the remelting scan revealed an effect of the laser power in the increment of texture intensity along the building direction. A combination of chess pattern and remelting every 3rd layer decreased the RS magnitude in comparison with other samples, where parameters for remelting strategies were changed. In addition, the crystallographic texture varied with different process parameters used for the remelting. For further reduction of RS without employing post-processing, investigations into novel scan strategies need to be undertaken and at the same time texture formation also needs to be investigated.

Manufacturing of functional (ready to use) parts with the powder bed fusion method has seen an increase in recent times in the field of aerospace and in the medical sector. Residual stresses (RS) induced due to the process itself can lead to defects like cracks and delamination in the part leading to the inferior quality of the part. These RS are one of the main reasons preventing the process from being adopted widely. The powder bed methods have several processing parameters that can be optimized for improving the quality of the component, among which, build orientation is one. In this current study, influence of the build orientation on the residual stress distribution for the Ni-based super-alloy Inconel 718 fabricated by laser-based powder bed fusion method is studied by non- destructive technique of neutron diffraction at selected cross-sections. Further, RS generated in the entire part was predicted using a simplified layer by layer approach using a finite element (FE) based thermo-mechanical numerical model. From the experiment, the part printed in horizontal orientation has shown the least amount of stress in all three directions and a general tendency of compressive RS at the center of the part and tensile RS near the surface was observed in all the samples. The build with vertical orientation has shown the highest amount of RS in both compression and tension. Simplified simulations results are in good agreement with the experimental value of the stresses.

Additive manufacturing (AM) of parts using a layer by layer approach has seen a rapid increase in application for production of net shape or near-net shape complex parts, especially in the field of aerospace, automotive, etc. Due to the superiority of manufacturing complex shapes with ease in comparison to the conventional methods, interest in these kinds of processes has increased. Among various methods in AM, laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is one of the most widely used techniques to produce metallic components.

As in all manufacturing processes, residual stress (RS) generation during manufacturing is a relevant issue for the AM process. RS in AM are generated due to a high thermal gradient between subsequent layers. The impact of residual stresses can be significant for the mechanical integrity of the built parts and understanding the generation of RS and the effect of AM process parameters is therefore important for a broader implementation of AM techniques. The work presented in this licentiate thesis aims to investigate the influence of build orientation on the RS distribution in AM parts. For this purpose, L-shaped Inconel 718 parts were printed by LPBF in three different orientations, 0°, 45°, and 90°, respectively. Inconel 718 was selected because it is a superalloy widely used for making gas turbine components. In addition, IN718 has in general good weldability which renders it a good material for additive manufacturing.

Residual stress distributions in the parts removed from the build plate were measured using neutron diffraction technique. A simple finite element model was developed to predict the residual stresses and the effect of RS relaxation due to the separation of the parts and build plate. The trend of residual stress distribution predicted was in good agreement with experimental results. In general, compressive RS at the part center and tensile RS near the surface were found. However, while the part printed in 0° orientation had the least amount of RS in all three principal directions of part, the part built in 90° orientation possessed the highest amount of RS in both compression and tension. The study has shown that residual stress distributions in the parts are strongly dependent on the building process. Further, it has shown that the relaxation of RS associated with the removal of the parts from the build plate after printing has a great impact on the final distribution of residual stress in the parts. These results can be used as guidelines for choosing the orientations of the part during printing.