Effect of deposition path of electron beam freeform fabrication on residual stress and deformation of deposited parts

The present work focused on the effect of deposition path on the transient temperature distribution, heat transfer, residual deformation and residual stress of a rectangular solid deposited by electron beam freeform fabrication technology. To achieve this aim, three representative deposition paths were involved to produce rectangular solid by electron beam freeform fabrication technology. Thermal‐mechanical decoupling simulations were carried out with respect to three different deposition paths. Both of the experimental and simulation results showed that a shorter deposition track can remarkably reduce the residual stress and warping. After separating the deposition area into small segments, remarkable local bulges were formed near the conjunction lines, and overheating was prone to occur at the turning points of the conjunction lines. The present work is helpful to the selection of deposition path for additive manufacturing process.