Microstructural, Mechanical, and Corrosion Performance of Components Fabricated through Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing Process

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has garnered significant attention in industries owing to its ability to produce complex geometrical components with lower production costs. In the present work, WAAM process was used to fabricate rectangular plates and cylindrical tubes from ER70S6 filler material based on the cold metal transfer technique. The microstructure of the rectangular plate was investigated at three different locations, viz., top, middle and bottom regions along the build direction (BD). It was characterized by the presence of ferrite and pearlite phases along with Mn and Fe rich carbide precipitates. The average grain size of the middle location was found to be marginally higher as compared to the other two locations which resulted into lower hardness in the former. The tensile properties were evaluated for three directions, i.e., 0°, 45° and 90° with respect to BD. The total elongation and strength were found to be slightly higher for the specimen deformed 90° with respect to BD. Furthermore, the performance of the additive manufactured components was analyzed through corrosion and compression tests. The corrosion current density and corrosion rate were found to be higher for the middle location as compared to the top and bottom locations owing to its higher pearlite fraction. The compression of tubes was carried out under axial and transverse loading conditions. Axisymmetric progressive folding of the tubes was observed under axial loading, whereas infinity shape formation was witnessed under transverse loading. The above deformation modes indicated the uniformity in mechanical properties of WAAM tubes without any discontinuity, and further suggested that these tubes could act as excellent energy absorbers.