Research and Development Unit for Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Funder

Organizational Unit

Publications

In situ ultrasonic testing for wire arc additive manufacturing applications

Publication . Lopez, Ana Beatriz; Sousa, José Pedro; Pragana, J.P.M; Bragança, Ivo; Santos, Telmo G.; Silva, C.M.A.

In this paper, we present a non-destructive testing (NDT) technique based on in situ detection of defects up to 100 °C by ultrasonic testing (UT) during construction of parts by a metal additive manufacturing technology known as wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The proposed technique makes use of interlayer application of commercial solder flux to serve as coupling medium for in situ inspection using a special-purpose UT probe. The experimental work was carried out in deposited ER5356 aluminum straight walls following a threefold structure. First, characterization tests with geometrically similar walls with and without interlayer application of solder flux highlight its neutrality, with no effect on the chemical, metallurgical and mechanical properties of the walls. Secondly, UT tests on walls at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 100 °C demonstrate the satisfactory performance of the solder flux as a coupling medium, with little to no soundwave amplitude losses or noise. Finally, acoustic attenuation, impedance and transmission estimations highlight the effectiveness of the proposed technique, establishing a basis for the future development of automated NDT systems for in situ UT of additive manufacturing processes.

2022-11Journal article

Open access

Influence of processing parameters on the density of 316L stainless steel parts manufactured through laser powder bed fusion

Publication . Pragana, J. P. M.; Pombinha, Pedro; Valdemar, R. Duarte; Rodrigues, Tiago A.; Oliveira, João P.; Bragança, Ivo; Santos, Telmo G.; Miranda, Rosa M.; Coutinho, Luísa; Silva, C.M.A.

Additive manufacturing technologies are becoming more popular, as they allow the fabrication of specific parts with complex geometries not achievable by conventional manufacturing. In metal additive manufacturing, one of the most widely used technologies is laser powder bed fusion. This work focuses on the influence of different processing parameters on the density of AISI 316L stainless parts obtained through this technology. The article presents a review of published works on the deposition of AISI 316L stainless steel using laser powder bed fusion to define an optimal range of parameters to produce parts with densities above 99%, complemented by density measurements for new sets of laser powder bed fusion processing parameters within the defined optimal range. The investigation provides a further insight on the effect of operating parameters such as vector size and gas atmosphere (Nitrogen and Argon) on the part density. The density measurements were performed using two techniques: micrograph analysis and Archimedes method. Results reveal that an increase in vector size has a negative influence on part density. With the Archimedes method, a maximum relative density of 99.87% was achieved using Nitrogen atmosphere, showing that it is possible to produce near fully dense parts by laser powder bed fusion without post-processing by laser re-melting.

2020-02Journal article

Restricted access