Effects of single and double- pulse GMAW on the WAAM fabrication of Al5356 wall on Al- 6082 substrate

This study investigates the processability of Al5356 wire using Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) with Double Pulse (DP-GMAW) and Single Pulse (SP-GMAW) welding modes. The research aims to understand how varying heat input and pulsing strategies affect the WAAM-processed component morphology, microstructural evolution, and mechanical performance of the fabricated components. The results revealed that DP-GMAW could improve bead geometry, reduce porosity, and lead to refined grain structure through enhanced pool stirring compared to SP- GMAW. Moreover, hardness measurements of the vertical structures show a more uniform distribution along the vertical direction. The SP-GMAW process, although producing higher porosity (3.55%), showed higher tensile strength of 265 MPa compared to DP-GMAW. Both methods demonstrated mechanical properties surpassing those of cast Al5356 alloy. The findings provide insights into optimizing pulsed arc welding parameters for enhanced performance in aluminum WAAM applications.