On the effect of part orientation on stress distribution in AlSi10Mg specimens fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF)

The freedom of design of AM products suffers from some limitations in case of powder bed metal processes, because AM part's integrity is affected by the residual stress state that is a consequence of the thermal history during part fabrication. Aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of part orientation on stress distribution. Thus, flat samples of AlSi10Mg alloy built along different orientations are produced by means of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process, also known as Selective Laser Melting (SLM). Then, the semi-destructive hole-drilling method is used to evaluate residual stresses beneath the surfaces of samples. The outcomes of the study can be exploited to define design rules in order to both minimize support structures and optimize the orientation of the part in the building volume.