Static assessment of flawed notched components manufactured by L-PBF in AlSi10Mg: Experiments, computational approaches, a simplified method

The assessment of parts produced by Additive Manufacturing against static loading requires to account for several factors, such as process-induced defects and heterogeneous microstructure, which cause dependence of the material properties on the building position. In this work, a comprehensive approach to the static assessment of AlSi10Mg notched test articles manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is presented. A test campaign on thin notched AlSi10Mg parts manufactured by L-PBF confirms that, despite the quasi-brittle tensile behaviour, an assessment based on elastic–plastic fracture mechanics parameters is needed to correctly predict the experimental failures. Predictions based on Failure Assessment Diagram and Theory of Critical Distances are then compared with experimental results. A simplified Imaginary Crack Model method, based on the concepts of Fictitious Crack Length, resulted to be quite precise and simple to apply.