Influence of scanning patterns on residual stresses and mechanical properties in LPBF-manufactured cellular structures

• Numerical modeling of the path-dependent and layer-by-layer printing approaches to evaluate residual stress in LPBF. • Models validated with residual stress measurements of Inconel 625 curved thin-walled structure. • Predicted residual stresses show layer-by-layer approach cuts computation time by 80% with high accuracy and simulation efficiency. • Scanning patterns strongly affect the residual stress in lattices manufactured with LBPF. • Strong correlation found between scanning strategy, topology and residual stress formation and their effect on mechanical response. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a widely used additive manufacturing (AM) technique for metals, offering design flexibility and material efficiency. However, residual stresses, distortion, and microstructure evolution must be controlled for broader industrial adoption. This study compares two coupled thermo-mechanical modeling approaches—path-dependent and layer-by-layer—for predicting residual stresses and deformations in LPBF of Inconel 625 parts. Both approaches are validated against experimental results and applied to several lattice structures: Diamond TPMS, FCC plate-based, and Octet strut-based. The models effectively predict the transient evolution of residual stresses and deformation. The layer-by-layer approach reduces computational cost by 80% while maintaining accuracy, making it more efficient than the path-dependent method. The path-dependent approach is further used to investigate the influence of scanning patterns on residual stress formation. Results show that scanning strategy significantly impacts mechanical properties such as elastic modulus and yield strength. The stars-pattern scanning strategy has the most detrimental effect, while 45°/–45° and 0°/90° patterns yield better mechanical performance across all lattice types. These findings offer insights into optimizing process parameters and scanning strategies to manage residual stresses and improve mechanical performance in LPBF additively manufactured lattice structures.