Investigation of microstructure and mechanical properties of SiC and FeCrC reinforced components fabricated with plasma wire arc additive manufacturing (P-WAAM)

Abstract

In wire arc additive manufacturing, components are generally fabricated using commercial wires. In this study, the mechanical and microstructural properties of the material were improved by adding the powder to the feedstock wire. The effects of powder reinforcement on microstructure, tensile strength, wear behavior, and hardness have been investigated. In experimental studies, composite parts in the form of walls were successfully fabricated using AISI 304 wire material, SiC, and FeCrC powder-reinforced wires. According to the results, the powder reinforcement increased the hardness and wear resistance, but the tensile strength of the SiC-reinforced component did not increase sufficiently. On the other hand, the tensile strength, hardness, and wear resistance of the FeCrC-reinforced component increased compared to the W304 component. The microstructures of the components were generally determined as columnar dendrites in the bottom layers and equiaxed dendrites in the top layers. The best tensile strength was obtained in the FeCrC-reinforced horizontal sample (979 ± 45 MPa). The best wear resistance and hardness values were obtained in the SiC-reinforced component.