A Mechanical Testing Methodology for Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes

Most additive manufacturing processes are layer-by-layer deposition, thus its mechanical properties could be very different than those made from traditional manufacturing processes. This paper summarizes a mini-tensile testing methodology for additive manufacturing. Research concerning the tensile testing of metallic material has been conducted and test methods have been defined. It encompasses the methods for determination of yield strength, yield point elongation, tensile strength, elongation, and reduction of area. The study of positional variation and cooling-rate dependency in case of additive manufacturing proves to be expensive and time consuming with the full-size test specimens. Thus, this paper discussed a technique for testing of tensile properties using miniature sized test specimens. It covers detailed procedures for development of test specimens, actual testing set-up and the analysis of test results.