Residual Stress Control Using Process Optimization in Directed Energy Deposition

This paper mainly analyzes the typical thermodynamic response (thermal history, thermal strain and residual stress) in a conventional continuous-wave (CW) laser during Directed Energy Deposition (DED). The influence of process parameters (laser power and scanning speed) on the temperature gradient in the heat-affected zone, thermal strain and residual stress are studied, and the corresponding relationship are established. The results show that a reduction in residual stress can be obtained by decreasing the temperature gradient. However, the method of reducing the temperature gradient by changing process parameters leads to low forming quality and low density. A pulse-wave laser (PW) is proposed to actively control the residual stress of the deposited sample. This laser mode can reduce not only the temperature gradient in the process of DED but also the in situ release of thermal stress, correspondingly greatly reducing the residual stress.