Ultrasonically assisted hot-wire arc additive manufacturing process of AA7075 metal matrix nanocomposite

A newly developed ultrasonically assisted (UA) hot-wire wire arc additive manufacturing (HWAAM) process for TiB2 nanoparticle reinforced AA7075 metal matrix nanocomposite (MMNC) was thoroughly studied. The synergic effects of UA and hot-wire system were discussed along with process parameters. HWAAM sam-ples showed reduced porosities and improved deposition rate compared to conventional WAAM, while UA-HWAAM further upgraded the process and showed improvements in several aspects: reduced porosities, better dispersion of nanoparticles, and uniform microstructure, as reflected in the more homogeneous hardness distribution, and enhanced mechanical properties. Lower travel speed shows more significant UA improvements based on the longer UA-melt interaction time.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.