Experimental Study on the Local Buckling Response of WAAM Stainless Steel Square Hollow Sections

Abstract

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) has the potential to produce free form metallic structures, suitable for use in the construction industry, and so is currently being rapidly developed by structural engineers. This paper details an experimental program investigating the stability performance of ten WAAM 316L stainless steel square hollow section stub columns with varying cross‐sectional slenderness. Tensile coupon tests were also carried out to determine the material properties of the WAAM builds in three different directions relative to the printing direction. The tensile coupon tests revealed a high degree of anisotropy while the ductility requirements set out by Eurocode 3 are met by all coupons. Two different thickness parameters (i.e. average thickness and average minimum thickness) were obtained through geometric analysis of the stub columns, and are used in conjunction with Eurocode 3 design rules for conventional stainless steels. The predictions to the load‐carrying capacities offered by these two design treatments were compared with the stub column test results, confirming the applicability of the current Eurocode 3 design rule, along with recommended design treatments.