In-situ tensile loading of additively manufactured (AM) Laser Beam Melted (LBM) AISI 316L

Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing is a rapidly developing field which produces parts in a layer wise fashion by selectively melting and solidifying to build a structure of a desired geometry. This method permits a greater freedom of design compared to conventional manufacturing processes. The material produced by AM can have a different structure of the metal grains which can lead to significantly different mechanical properties. In order to understand the origin of these different (and sometime improved) mechanical properties, it is proposed to conduct an experiment on ENGIN-X whereby the deformaion mechanisms in AM are explored via tensile testing in the neutron beam. This will allow the modes of deformation to compared to conventionally manufactured material and will validate simulation models being developed at the BAM.