Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis of wire arc additively manufactured steels
Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a metal 3D printing method that allows the cost-effective and efficient production of large-scale elements, and has thus gained great interest from architects and structural engineers. Integration of this novel technology into the construction industry, howe...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-04-01
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Series: | Materials & Design |
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Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127522001654 |
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author | Cheng Huang Pinelopi Kyvelou Ruizhi Zhang T. Ben Britton Leroy Gardner |
author_facet | Cheng Huang Pinelopi Kyvelou Ruizhi Zhang T. Ben Britton Leroy Gardner |
author_sort | Cheng Huang |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a metal 3D printing method that allows the cost-effective and efficient production of large-scale elements, and has thus gained great interest from architects and structural engineers. Integration of this novel technology into the construction industry, however, requires the development of a clear understanding of the mechanical behaviour of WAAM materials. To this end, a comprehensive experimental study into the mechanical properties and microstructure of WAAM plates made of normal- and high-strength steels has been undertaken and is reported herein. A total of 137 as-built and machined tensile coupons were tested, extracted in various directions relative to the print layer orientation from WAAM plates of two nominal thicknesses, built using different deposition strategies. The influence of the geometric undulations inherent to the WAAM process and deposition strategy on the resulting mechanical properties was investigated. Microstructural characterisation was also performed by means of optical microscopy (OM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The WAAM normal-strength steel plates exhibited a principally ferritic-pearlitic microstructure, while the WAAM high-strength steel plates displayed a mixed microstructure featuring ferrite, bainite and martensite. The EBSD analysis revealed a weak crystallographic texture, which explained the observed mechanical properties being almost isotropic. No significant differences in tensile properties were observed with the different deposition strategies, except for some variation in ductility. The geometric undulations of the as-built coupons resulted in some reduction in effective mechanical properties and a degree of anisotropy. Overall, the examined WAAM material exhibited consistent mechanical properties, a Young’s modulus comparable to conventionally-produced steel plates, marginally lower strength, reflecting the slower cooling conditions than is customary, and good ductility. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:34:25Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-ab7080fbc1b145d0b203f606b16420c7 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 0264-1275 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:34:25Z |
publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | Article |
series | Materials & Design |
spelling | doaj.art-ab7080fbc1b145d0b203f606b16420c72022-12-22T02:39:28ZengElsevierMaterials & Design0264-12752022-04-01216110544Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis of wire arc additively manufactured steelsCheng Huang0Pinelopi Kyvelou1Ruizhi Zhang2T. Ben Britton3Leroy Gardner4Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, UK; Corresponding authors.Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, UKDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, UK; Corresponding authors.Department of Materials, Imperial College London, UKDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, UKWire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a metal 3D printing method that allows the cost-effective and efficient production of large-scale elements, and has thus gained great interest from architects and structural engineers. Integration of this novel technology into the construction industry, however, requires the development of a clear understanding of the mechanical behaviour of WAAM materials. To this end, a comprehensive experimental study into the mechanical properties and microstructure of WAAM plates made of normal- and high-strength steels has been undertaken and is reported herein. A total of 137 as-built and machined tensile coupons were tested, extracted in various directions relative to the print layer orientation from WAAM plates of two nominal thicknesses, built using different deposition strategies. The influence of the geometric undulations inherent to the WAAM process and deposition strategy on the resulting mechanical properties was investigated. Microstructural characterisation was also performed by means of optical microscopy (OM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The WAAM normal-strength steel plates exhibited a principally ferritic-pearlitic microstructure, while the WAAM high-strength steel plates displayed a mixed microstructure featuring ferrite, bainite and martensite. The EBSD analysis revealed a weak crystallographic texture, which explained the observed mechanical properties being almost isotropic. No significant differences in tensile properties were observed with the different deposition strategies, except for some variation in ductility. The geometric undulations of the as-built coupons resulted in some reduction in effective mechanical properties and a degree of anisotropy. Overall, the examined WAAM material exhibited consistent mechanical properties, a Young’s modulus comparable to conventionally-produced steel plates, marginally lower strength, reflecting the slower cooling conditions than is customary, and good ductility.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127522001654Carbon steelHigh strength steelMaterial anisotropyMechanical propertiesMetal 3D printingMicrostructure |
spellingShingle | Cheng Huang Pinelopi Kyvelou Ruizhi Zhang T. Ben Britton Leroy Gardner Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis of wire arc additively manufactured steels Materials & Design Carbon steel High strength steel Material anisotropy Mechanical properties Metal 3D printing Microstructure |
title | Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis of wire arc additively manufactured steels |
title_full | Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis of wire arc additively manufactured steels |
title_fullStr | Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis of wire arc additively manufactured steels |
title_full_unstemmed | Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis of wire arc additively manufactured steels |
title_short | Mechanical testing and microstructural analysis of wire arc additively manufactured steels |
title_sort | mechanical testing and microstructural analysis of wire arc additively manufactured steels |
topic | Carbon steel High strength steel Material anisotropy Mechanical properties Metal 3D printing Microstructure |
url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127522001654 |
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