Study of the Mechanical Behavior of Topologically Optimized Arc Wire Direct Energy Deposition Aerospace Fixtures

Abstract

The reliability and performance qualification of additively manufactured metal parts is essential for their successful and safe use in engineering applications. Additive Manufacturing (AM) allows parts to be produced more easily than traditional manufacturing. Arc Wire Direct Energy Deposition (AW-DED) is one of the lesser-known metal additive manufacturing technologies. It has enormous potential for large-scale 3D printing applications in the aerospace industry. However, in the aerospace industry, one of the main challenges today is to reduce the weight of components without compromising their structural functionality. Topology optimization offers design engineers the opportunity to create lightweight and complex structural parts. In arc wire direct energy deposition (AW-DED) processes, processing parameters affect material microstructure features, overall part quality, and integrity, as well as bulk mechanical behavior. To address such challenges, the investigation presented in this paper describes a novel digital design approach combining topology optimization, process simulations, and size optimization of the tool components used in the aerospace industry to address effects caused during manufacturing by using Finite Element Modeling (FEM) simulations. This can lead to reduced costs, development time, material consumption, and product weight. Due to the flexibility mentioned above, parts designed for AM have the same structural load as conventional parts but with reduced mass and better part design. The results of this application are discussed in depth in this paper. This is a new research work with useful results and conclusions in the methodology for the evaluation of mechanical behavior of topologically optimized metal additive manufactured components. For this purpose, aerospace fixtures have been topologically designed by means of AW-DED-process-oriented techniques. Aerospace fixtures are normally used in the aerospace industry to support and hold various components. These new design paradigms make it possible to save on material costs oriented toward more sustainable and flexible manufacturing.