Parametric Evaluation of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing using Pulsed GMAW of 316L Stainless Steel
Pulsed GMAW, wire arc additive manufacturing, austenitic stainless steels
Currently, the manufacture and assembly of naval propulsion components comes from traditional manufacturing processes and is often done manually, negatively impacting the quality and productivity of boat parts. Wire arc additive manufacturing has the potential to be used in manufacturing of large nautical components, since it provides high deposition rates and parts with better mechanical properties than traditional manufacturing processes. The objective of this work is to evaluate the manufacturing parameterization for the additive manufacturing process by arc deposition of AISI 316L stainless steel using the Pulsed-GMAW process, verifying the feasibility of manufacturing nautical propulsion components. Through the selection of different parameters of frequency, welding speed and feed speed, the specimens were manufactured via alternating and successive depositions, resulting in different results in terms of height, width and different thermal inputs. Microhardness and geometric aspects of the deposits were measured for each condition. The influence of each chosen parameter was evaluated through a design of experiments, obtaining an optimized condition for the manufacture of a test body, which will serve to conduct subsequent tests. The measured ferrite content was decisive when choosing the optimal condition for manufacturing a test specimen. It is then intended to analyze the mechanical properties of the test body, as well as its resistance to corrosion, in order to critically evaluate the viability of manufacturing naval propulsion components via Pulsed-GMAW