Experimental investigation on mechanical behaviour of austenitic stainless steel fabricated through wire arc additive manufacturing

Abstract

Fabrication of intricate and customized components using wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a promising technique with wide-ranging applications in sectors including but not limited to automotive, aerospace, and marine. This article focuses on the mechanical behaviour of austenitic stainless steel (SS316LSi) -fabricated WAAM components. Tensile and hardness tests were used to examine the mechanical behaviour of the WAAM-fabricated structure in the top, bottom, and center zones. The results show that the mechanical behaviour of WAAM fabricated structure falls in the range of wrought SS316L. The average tensile strength parameter values of ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation percentage estimated in the deposited structure are 538.06 MPa, 236.33 MPa, and 43.3%, respectively. Microhardness values at the bottom, top, and middle regions, are 182.52 HV, 179.36 HV and 174.75 HV respectively. Results reveal no disbonding between layers, reasonable ductility and stable fusion in the fabricated structure. Reduced manufacturing times and expenses are anticipated by manufacturing parts via the WAAM route, which will aid the industrial applicability of this process towards global technical competence.