Mechanical and X ray computed tomography characterisation of a WAAM 3D printed steel plate for structural engineering applications

Z Al-Nabulsi,J.T Mottram,M Gillie,N Kourra,M.A Williams

doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.121700

Z Al-Nabulsi, J.T Mottram + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.121700

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Abstract

This paper reports an investigation to improve fundamental knowledge and understanding of 3D printing of steel in structural engineering. The process method examined is Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) for the manufacturing of large-sized components. The mechanical properties of 3D printed Union K 40 - GMAW steel are determined and benchmarked against measured properties of EN 8 carbon medium steel. The results presented and discussed are from tensile coupon testing and X-ray Computed Tomography, with the latter inspecting an internal volume of the WAAM steel for: printing orientation; mapping porosity; interfacial variation between the printed layers. The key finding is that the mechanical properties of the WAAM steel satisfy the requirements for a structural steel grade for building structures as specified by Eurocode 3 (EN 1993–1-1).

Highlights

Over the last three decades, the potential of 3D printing has evolved significantly, offering efficiencies and providing optimised structural solutions from the exploitation of this industrial revolution in manufacturing processing
X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) scanning provided valuable information in order to understand the internal micro-structure of the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) steel
Three types of samples were involved in this non-destructive evaluation, namely the dog-bone coupons before and after tensile testing (Section 4.2), and the through-thickness coupons, but only after testing

Summary

Introduction

Over the last three decades, the potential of 3D printing has evolved significantly, offering efficiencies and providing optimised structural solutions from the exploitation of this industrial revolution in manufacturing processing. The engineering sector to benefit from 3D printing is the construction industry [5]. Wu et al [6] observed that 3D printing technologies can have significant benefits in. There have been several 3D-printing projects that illustrate effective redesign as another benefit to the construction industry. To demonstrate the possibilities of Additive Manufacturing (AM) processing there are projects for scaled-down components, such as: 50 Â 50 mm cross-section stainless steel sub-columns [9]; micro-lattice structures [10]; an optimised tensegrity node structure [11]; topology optimisation for stainless steel three-branch joints [12]

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