Research progress in arc additive manufacturing of high-strength aluminum alloys

Abstract

High-strength aluminum alloy have become one of the most commonly used metal materials for aerospace and automotive application parts due to its high strength， low density， excellent ductility and corrosion resistance. Wire arc additive manufacturing （WAAM） has the ability to rapidly in-situ form and manufacture complex structural parts， and is very suitable for the manufacturing of medium or large high-strength aluminium alloy parts. The current status of high-strength aluminum alloy WAAM processes and equipment， the inherent properties and defects of high-strength aluminum alloy WAAM， and the main performance optimization methods were comprehensively analyzed in this paper. The inherent characteristics of the microstructure and properties as well as the impact of hybrid additive manufacturing technologies on the microstructure and properties were discussed. Opinions are put forward on issues such as metallurgical defects， characteristic performance requirements， the advantages and disadvantages of various optimization processes in WAAM. Development directions such as a comprehensive evaluation system， composition design and wire development， special heat treatment systems and synergy of composite additive manufacturing technology are proposed. Such proposals are expected to provide references for the performance improvement and application promotion of high-strength aluminum alloys manufactured via WAAM.

Keywords

• wire arc additive manufacturing
• high strength aluminum alloy
• metallurgical defects
• process optimization
• hybrid additive manufacturing