Optimization of the Pulsed Arc Welding Parameters for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing in Austenitic Steel Applications

Industrial development continues to present challenges for manufacturers. One of them is additive manufacturing (AM) with metallic materials. One promising solution is wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). Currently, WAAM is a more promising tool for developers, firstly due to the simplicity of its realization and secondly for its cost-effectiveness. Building materials are represented by welding wires, so the deposition rate is favorable. A pulse power source is commonly used in this scheme of realization. Much less attention has been paid to the optimization of the power source working regime, i.e., welding mode. Indeed, the power determines the whole process of WAAM. Therefore, in the present work, an attempt has been made to perform a scientifically based design for the optimal welding mode. The austenitic welding wire was chosen to eliminate phase-transition effects in the solid state of the deposited metal. As a result of the investigation, the advantages of the designed welding mode for WAAM application are made clear. Successful efforts have been made to optimize welding modes for WAAM applications. This study is important for manufacturers as well as engineers and scientists.

Parametric Study of Pulse Arc Welding (PAW) and Laser Beam Welding (LBW) Techniques for Electrical Vehicle Battery Cells

Electrical vehicles (EV) offer the automotive industry the potential to meet future emission targets by developing large battery systems. These battery systems require several thousand single battery cells to be connected together. The battery cells are complex assemblies of dissimilar materials with very low thicknesses, which presents a significant challenge during the joining process, especially welding. We have investigated the performance of laser beam welding (LBW), as well as pulsed arc welding (PAW) for joining 0.3mm thickness nickel coated copper to 0.7mm thickness mild steel. The parametric study for good quality lap welds based on high tensile strength, was performed. The weld microstructure was investigated using optical, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical performance of the weld samples was characterized through tensile testing and micro hardness measurements to establish the microstructure property relationship. The maximum tensile strength measured for specified weld geometries was 660N for LBW and 496N for PAW. A significant increase in the hardness was measured in the weld nugget due to the formation of Cu-Fe composite microstructure