Metal 3D Printing of Functionally Graded Tri-Metallic Structure Using Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM)

Abstract

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is one of the promising metal additive manufacturing techniques being used for fabricating medium to large-scale parts and objects in various industries. During the last decade, WAAM has been used to produce parts with tailored properties by combining different materials in a single structure. Integrating different materials provides an opportunity to explore their efficacy in manufacturing functionally graded materials (FGM). Current research explores utilization of Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) based WAAM in fabrication of Functionally Graded Tri-metallic Structure (FGTS). Individual as well as combination of three types of steels i.e. Mild steel (ER70S-6), Austenitic stainless steel (SS-316L) and High strength low alloy steel (AISI-5130) through WAAM was studied for this paper. Research validated that all three materials exhibited distinct microstructure which is in line with their individual alloy chemistry with smooth transition observed in FGTS. Tensile testing also demonstrated excellent integration of mechanical properties, with Ultimate Tensile Strength (442.48 MPa) and elongation (25.93%) representing a balance between strength and ductility. The research offers a novel avenue for producing trimetallic steel structures and widens the design opportunities for structures requiring sitespecific properties.