Defect sensitivity in additively manufactured aluminium alloys: contribution of CAD artificial defects

Abstract

The prediction of the fatigue resistance of additively manufactured parts is a current issue for the materials and process qualification in aerospace industry. Despite a continuous improvement of AM process, the presence of defects cannot yet be completely avoided, and the latter are still one of the main causes of fatigue damage in AM materials. In this framework, the present work focused on the influence of defects on the uniaxial fatigue behavior of AlSi7Mg0.6 alloy produced by Selective Laser Melting (SLM). Uniaxial fatigue tests have been performed. Fatigue specimens were subjected to a T6 treatment, and then machined in order to avoid the influence of surface roughness. Besides, for some specimens, artificial defects were directly introduced through CAD. The introduction of artificial defects, whose sizes and positions are precisely controlled, aims to provide a proper assessment of defect sensitivity. X-ray tomography was used to characterize both natural and artificial defects. Finite-element calculations of the local stress fields in the vicinity of defects were conducted, accounting for the real defect geometries obtained with CT scans. The application of a non-local multiaxial fatigue criterion then allowed to analyze defect criticity.