Improvement in Microstructure and Properties of 304 Steel Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing by the Micro-Control Deposition Trajectory

Abstract

In this study, the GMAW welding torch was controlled by a stepping motor to achieve a periodic swing. By controlling the swing speed, a micro-variable deposition path was obtained, which was called the micro-control deposition trajectory. The influence of the micro-control deposition trajectory on the arc characteristics, microstructure, and mechanical properties of 304 steel wire arc additive manufacturing was studied. The results showed that the micro-control deposition process was affected by the swing arc and the deposition trajectory and that the arc force was dispersed over the whole deposition layer, which effectively reduced the welding heat input. However, the arc centrifugal force increased with the increase in the swing speed, which easily caused instability of the arc and large spatter. Compared with common thin-walled deposition, the deposition width of micro-control thin-walled deposition components was increased. In addition, the swinging arc had a certain stirring effect on the molten pool, which was conducive to the escape of the molten pool gas and refinement of the microstructure. Below, the interface of the deposition layer, the microstructure of the common thin-walled deposition components, and the micro-control thin-walled deposition components were composed of lathy ferrite and austenite. Compared with the common deposition, when the swing speed increased to 800 °/s, the microstructure consisted of vermicular ferrite and austenite. The tensile strength and elongation of the micro-control thin-walled deposition components are higher than those of the common thin-walled deposition components. The tensile fracture mechanism of the common thin-walled deposition components and the micro-control thin-walled deposition components was the ductile fracture mechanism.

Analysis of Energy and Material Consumption for the Manufacturing of an Aeronautical Tooling: An Experimental Comparison between Pure Machining and Big Area Additive Manufacturing

“…For large constructions, a narrow weld bead is desirable, allowing high bead growth, even though it reduces the weld penetration into the bottom layer and creates the aforementioned rounded ball-shaped bead [65]. Moreover, these parameters affect the material's final properties, so their range of modification is modified based on the experience accumulated with this technology and the existing literature [66][67][68][69][70]. This study aims to compare a pure subtractive manufacturing process versus a whole BAAM process in the manufacturing of aeronautical tooling, focusing on energy and material consumption.…”