Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Temperature Fields Developed during WAAM Production of an Aluminum Part

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) stands out as a highly promising direct energy deposition (DED) technology for producing large-scale metallic parts, primarily due to its efficiency, high deposition rate, and low production costs. WAAM can be exploited with many advantages to a wide range of metallic materials, including aluminum, copper, and magnesium. This paper deals with the examination of thermal cycles and temperature fields developed during additive manufacturing of an AA5087 aluminum alloy part using conventional Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) with variable deposition parameters. The thermal cycles were experimentally measured by an Ahlborn Almemo 5690-2 measuring station equipped with K-type thermocouples. A simulation model of the deposition process was developed to perform a more detailed study of the impact of the travel speed on the temperature distribution and geometrical characteristics of single weld beads, using ANSYS software. The measured and computed thermal cycles and peak temperatures reached during the 1 st and 2 nd deposition cycle were compared. The maximum measured temperatures at a travel speed of 25 cm/min were 503.4 °C (1 st cycle) and 419.6 °C (2 nd cycle), while the calculated temperatures were 502.5 °C and 417.4 °C, respectively. At a higher travel speed of 35 cm/min, the peak temperatures were lower, with experimental values of 459.6 °C (1 st cycle) and 417.5 °C (2 nd cycle), and calculated values of 459.0 °C and 391.2 °C.