Recent Developments in Finite Element Modelling of Stress in 3D Printed Structural Blocks
Keywords:
3D Printing, Finite Element Modelling (FEM), Stress Analysis, Structural Blocks, Anisotropy, Thermo-Mechanical Simulation, Multi-Scale Modelling, Material Properties, Computational Simulation.Abstract
3D printing has changed the way parts are designed by allowing for increased complexity of shapes, more efficient use of material, and customization. However, the stepwise nature of additive manufacturing (AM) has resulted in known issues of inherent problems like anisotropy, material residual stresses, and mechanical heterogeneities in structural components made via AM. Finite Element modelling (FEM) has gained recognition as an important computational method to simulate and evaluate the stress behaviour of these types of components. This research note provides a systematic overview of the latest advancements to FEM methods that apply to structural components produced by 3D printing, including anisotropic and multi-scale material modelling approaches, modified meshing methods, coupled thermo-mechanical modelling, and other hybrid validation methods that incorporate experimental measurements and creative applications of machine learning for more accurate prediction. This research note also highlights material and structural properties, printing parameters that influence stress distributions, and various challenges such as computational demands, material limitations, environmental issues, etc. Overall, FEM can serve an important role in advancing reliability, design optimization, and industrial applications of AM components when these challenges are addressed. This note represents an important orientation for engineers that wish to push the boundaries of simulation-based design and prediction modelling in additive manufacturing.
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References
Armstrong, M., Mehrabi, H., & Naveed, N. (2022). An overview of modern metal additive manufacturing technology. Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 84, 1001-1029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2022.10.060
Savolainen, J., & Collan, M. (2020). How additive manufacturing technology changes business models?–review of literature. Additive manufacturing, 32, 101070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2020.101070
Jadhav, A., & Jadhav, V. S. (2022). A review on 3D printing: An additive manufacturing technology. Materials Today: Proceedings, 62, 2094-2099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.02.558
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Copyright (c) 2025 Rohit Kumar, Dr Priyanka Jhavar, Sachin Baraskar

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