Investigation of Distribution of Mechanical Properties inside of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing Parts

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process that provides the manufacturing of complex part geometries with high building rates, making it suitable for various industrial applications. To design WAAM parts effectively and for the optimal post machining of functional surfaces, understanding of the distribution of mechanical properties within the built parts is essential. In this study the distribution of hardness of typical WAAM specimen is investigated. The influence of the distance to the building plate and to the sample edge are discussed with regard to the microstructure of WAAM parts. Furthermore, the hardness distribution of WAAM parts is qualitatively compared to the hardness distribution of laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) parts.