On utilizing topology optimization to design support structure to prevent residual stress induced build failure in laser powder bed metal additive manufacturing

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) as an emerging manufacturing technique has been gradually accepted to manufacture end-use components. However, one of the most critical issues preventing its broad applications is on build failure resulting from residual stress accumulation in manufacturing process. The goal of this work is to investigate the feasibility of using topology optimization to design support structure to mitigate residual stress induced build failure. To make topology optimization computationally tractable, the inherent strain method is employed to perform fast prediction of residual stress in an AM build. Graded lattice structure optimization is utilized to design the support structure due to the open-celled and self-supporting nature of periodic lattice structure. The objective for the optimization is to minimize the mass of sacrificial support structure under stress constraint. By limiting the maximum stress under the yield strength, cracking resulting from residual stress can be prevented. To show the feasibility of the proposed method, the support structure of a double-cantilever beam and a hip implant is designed, respectively. The support structure after optimization can achieve a weight reduction of approximately 60%. The components with optimized support structures no longer suffer from stress-induced cracking after the designs are realized by AM, which proves the effectiveness of the proposed method.