Formation of SUS304/Aluminum Alloys Using Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing

In this study, wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) was used to form SUS304/aluminum alloys. The buildup wall was well shaped using a pulse current consisting of a base current of 150 A and peak current of 200 A and a 0.2 m/min travel speed. Metallographic observation revealed that the original grains were columnar grains and transformed into equiaxed grains in the top area. The increased content of alloying elements in the fused layer improved the hardness of the buildup wall. The buildup wall formed using pulsed current exhibited improved anti-electrochemical corrosion performance when compared with that formed using constant current. The tensile strength of the alloy decreased but its elongation increased compared with those of Fe-Al alloys. The tensile fracture along the fusing direction was plastic fracture. However, the tensile fracture perpendicular to the fusing direction consisted of a combination of plastic and brittle fracture.