Session: 03-03 Metals: Path Development

Paper Number: 95013

95013 - Progress on the Development of Hifh Strength Al Alloys for Waam 

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has the objective of reducing the fabrication cost and time, as well as the material waste. This technology enables the manufacturing of complex parts and as a result, allows greater design freedom.

The use of Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) technology facilitates the welding of aluminium alloys susceptible to hot cracking due to the low heat input. One variant of this process, CMT pulsed advance (CMT-PADV), reduces this heat input even more in addition to using alternate polarity, which helps reducing porosity.

Different high strength aluminium alloys have been studied, with several deposition strategies and heat treatments with the aim of obtaining the best mechanical properties. Those deposition conditions, include the use of different dwell times between deposited layers, which directly affects the obtained microstructure. Moreover, several times and temperatures throughout the aging thermal cycle are studied and its influence in the hardness, mechanical properties and isotropy.

With the combination of a process with which a fine equiaxed microstructure is obtained, and a suitable heat treatment, values above 230 MPa yield stress, 450 MPa tensile strength and 8% elongation for Al-Cu alloy, and 520 MPa yield stress, 560 MPa tensile strength and 2% elongation for Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy, can be obtained in the best case scenario (perpendicular to building direction). These properties are greater than the ones obtained by conventional processes for these alloys.

Presenting Author: Maider Arana Lortek Technological Centre, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)

Presenting Author Biography: Maider Arana is a PhD student specialising in wire arc additive manufacturing of high strength aluminium alloys. She received a bachelor’s degree in Eco-Technology in Industrial Processes Engineering and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Spain. Her current field placement is with Lortek Technological Centre, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA) in collaboration with the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).

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