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Results for “Arc Wire Directed Energy Deposition”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Extending wire-arc directed energy deposition using non-gravity aligned (NGA) torch methods

For standard Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, traditional path planning typically relies on a 2.5-dimensional approach. In wire-arc directed energy deposition (DED), commonly referred to as wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), this 2.5D approach inherently limits final near net shape due to the stair-step effect and restricts the maximum overhang angle achievable without part degradation. To achieve better near net shape and part quality, a 3D planning approach that modulates the tool tip position and angle without process changes is demonstrated in components containing up to 105° of unsupported overhang. The experimental methods are validated with half and fully enclosed cylinder sections containing 90° of overhang. The non-gravity aligned methods are then applied to a commercial WAAM system for a composite tool mold demonstrator part. As a result, the methods developed in this paper enable expansion of WAAM system capabilities to parts containing large overhangs without compromising the net shape or material structure of the resulting parts and without the need for a part positioner.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2024

Digital bead modeling for wire-arc directed energy deposition

Prediction of 2D cross-section and full 3D geometry for stacked weld beads is critical for the outcome of wire-arc directed energy deposition (DED) parts; however, most additive path planning software packages model beads as extrusions of a rectangle. Weld beads are not rectangular, and the resulting shape is dependent upon physics effects at the moment of deposition. Physics phenomena such as the geometry of the underlying surface, the heat input of the welding mode, and the direction of gravity contribute to bead shape. Here, this paper presents a novel implicit modeling method that discretizes a 2D area or 3D volume of space into pixels or voxels and constructs fields based on these physics phenomena. The fields are combined using a weighting scheme trained on 3D scan measurements of welds and wire-arc DED prints. Pixels or voxels are added until the known amount of deposited volume has been achieved. Thereby, a strong conservation of mass principle is applied to the process. Utilizing machine learning techniques, the present model can be trained on a database of scans allowing for the representation of a wide variety of prints. Results show that this method can produce predictions with realistic bead morphology and sub-millimeter form error.

Bead geometry modeling↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigation of residual stress distribution in wire-arc directed energy deposited refractory molybdenum alloy utilizing numerical thermo-mechanical analysis and neutron diffraction method

Directed energy deposition (DED), a metal additive manufacturing (AM) technique, offers higher deposition rates and energy efficiency, making it suitable for fabricating components from refractory molybdenum alloys, such as molybdenum-titanium-zirconium (TZM). However, large thermal gradients and non-equilibrium thermal cycles in DED could generate high residual stress in the component, potentially deteriorating quality and performance. Thus, this study aims to investigate residual stress generation and its distribution in wire-arc DED of TZM thin-wall, utilizing thermo-mechanical analysis and high-fidelity neutron diffraction (ND) method. Two interpass temperatures (50°C and 200°C) have been considered to investigate their impact on residual stress formation. During experiments, in-situ thermal data has been recorded using thermocouples, which have been utilized for calibrating the thermal model. Thermocouple data shows a good agreement with the simulation results, having a difference of less than 10 %. Post-deposition part deformation has been observed, which is measured using a coordinate measuring machine, showing maximum values of 0.93 mm and 0.78 mm for interpass temperatures of 50°C and 200°C, respectively. Numerical predictions of distortion deviated by less than 15% from the experimental results. ND measurement and simulation results indicate that residual stress magnitude and evolution vary across the TZM deposits, revealing microstructural anisotropy in both conditions. Notably, lower interpass temperatures resulted in higher residual stresses, confirmed by experimental and simulation data. Further, this study demonstrated that an integrated experimental and thermo-mechanical analysis can potentially reveal the temperature history, part deformation, and residual stress formation in wire-arc DED TZM alloy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

The potential of wire arc directed energy deposition

A diverse team of materials scientists, systems engineers and computational scientists at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is working closely with industry to employ WA-DED to transform the current manufacturing supply chains and change industry perception of metal-AM-fabricated components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mechanical properties and strain localization of WA-DED printed P91 steel

This paper discusses a P91 steel block that was additively manufactured by wire arc direct energy deposition (WA-DED) followed by two types of post-process heat treatment (PPHT). Vickers microhardness and digital image correlation tensile tests were performed along the building direction. The global mechanical properties (i.e., microhardness and tensile properties) and the local mechanical responses (i.e., hardness fluctuation and strain localization) were systematically investigated. Results showed that (1) all P91 specimens showed higher strengths than American Society of Mechanical Engineers standard requirements for wrought P91 steel, (2) the as-printed P91 exhibited much higher average hardness and fluctuations than that after PPHT, (3) PPHT reduced P91 strengths but improved the ductility significantly, and (4) strain localization presented in the as-printed specimen during uniform deformation in tensile tests. The hardness fluctuation and strain localization along the building direction of the AP P91 were caused by different thermal histories received during WA-DED. The study indicated that PPHT, ideally tempering-only heat treatment, is necessary for the WA-DED printed P91 steel.

Mechanical properties↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of build parameters and microstructure in low heat input WAAM of Ni-based superalloy Haynes 282

Conference paper for 2024 10th International Conference on Advances in Materials, Manufacturing & Repair for Power Plants. Ni-based superalloy Haynes 282 is a prime candidate for advanced power generation systems due to its superior fabricability, weldability, and high-temperature performance. Additive manufacturing offers potential cost and time savings for gas turbine components. Wire-arc direct energy deposition can create large components but often requires post-processing treatments, such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP), to address porosity. This study explores a low heat-input, high deposition rate GMAW process to achieve fully dense Haynes 282 without HIP. Twenty-one blocks were deposited, varying travel and wire feed speeds. Initial analysis (visual inspection, microstructural examination, and CT) revealed the impact of build parameters on internal porosity and defects. Scanning electron microscopy provided insights into structural heterogeneity and microstructural properties. Related journal article can be found at https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.cp.am-epri-2024p0001.

Adam, Benjamin↗
DOE OSTI2024

Martensitic transformation induced strength-ductility synergy in additively manufactured maraging 250 steel by thermal history engineering

Maraging steels are known for their exceptional strength but suffer from limited work hardening and ductility. Here, in this study, we report an intermittent printing strategy to tailor the microstructure and mechanical properties of maraging 250 steel via tuning the thermal history during wire-arc directed energy deposition. By introducing a dwell time between adjacent layers, the maraging 250 steel is cooled below the martensite start temperature, triggering thermally-driven martensitic transformation during the printing process. Thermal cycling during subsequent layer deposition results in the formation of reverted austenite which shows a refined microstructure and induces elemental segregation between martensite and reverted austenite. The Ni enrichment in the austenite promotes stabilization of the reverted austenite upon cooling to room temperature. The reverted austenite is metastable during deformation, leading to strain-induced martensitic transformation under loading. Specifically, a 3 min interlayer dwell time produces a maraging 250 steel with approximately 8% reverted austenite, resulting in improved work hardening via martensitic transformation induced plasticity during deformation. Meanwhile, the higher cooling rate and refined prior austenite grains lead to substantially refined martensitic grains (by approximately fivefold) together with an increased dislocation density. With 3 min interlayer dwell time, the yield strength of the printed maraging 250 steel increases from 836 MPa to 990 MPa, and the uniform elongation is doubled from 3.2% to 6.5%. This intermittent deposition strategy demonstrates the potential to tune the microstructure of maraging steels for achieving strength-ductility synergy by engineering the thermal history during additive manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2026

Neutron Diffraction Residual Stress Characterization of Large-Scale Components by WA-DED

Two large scale 316L stainless steel cylindrical shells were fabricated by wire arc directed energy deposition (WA DED). Residual stresses were measured by neutron diffraction, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the printed material were characterized. Longitudinal and transverse residual stresses were compressive at the inner diameter, near neutral at mid wall, and tensile at the outer diameter; radial (through thickness) residual stresses were relatively low in magnitude, and peak tensile residual stresses occurred at the outer diameter surface along the longitudinal direction. The printed 316L SS exhibited a heterogeneous microstructure with finely dispersed δ ferrite, and demonstrated high yield and tensile strengths with large elongation and ductile fracture at ambient temperature and at 250 °C. These results indicate that the outer diameter surface and near surface regions—where tensile residual stress is highest—are the most vulnerable to residual stress–sensitive failure modes, such as stress corrosion cracking and fatigue.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nuclear Structural Component Relevant Properties of Nickel-Based Alloys Produced via Additive Manufacturing

Idaho National Laboratory initiated examination of nickel-based alloys manufactured via three different additive manufacturing methods for potential applications in nuclear, high temperature structural components. The three methods analyzed included laser powder bed fusion, blown powder laser directed energy deposition, and wire-fed gas metal arc directed energy deposition. With the rapid push towards additive manufacturing, codes do not exist that definitively define what is or is not tolerable for each process and application, such as with conventional, wrought products. This report contains the initial work to understand possible manufacturing methods for high temperature alloys, and specifically, void formation, microstructure evolution, corrosion, and mechanical properties. To generate mechanical test data, specimens were tested irrespective of voids and microstructures were analyzed to better understand how to negate/improve these issues. The preliminary results showed major decreases in mechanical performance for material tested. Test specimens will continue to be produced to further improve each additive manufacturing processes, quantify void acceptance, and better understand the most suitable high temperature alloys receptive to additive manufacturing and high temperature nuclear applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Comparison of Microstructure and Mechanical Performance of Inconel 718 Manufactured via L-PBF, LP-DED, and WAAM Technologies

The microstructure and mechanical properties of additively manufactured (AM) alloys can be significantly affected by variations in cooling rates, resulting from different process conditions across different additive manufacturing (AM) platforms. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the effect of manufacturing process on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AM Inconel 718. This study examines three AM processes: laser powder bed fusion, laser powder directed energy deposition, and wire arc additive manufacturing. Results show that fully heat treated laser powder bed fused (L-PBF) and wire arc additively manufactured (WAAM) Inconel 718 specimens exhibit higher strength compared to laser powder directed energy deposited (LP-DED) ones due to finer grain structure in L-PBF and retained dendritic microstructure in WAAM. The ductility in LP-DED Inconel 718 was slightly higher compared to WAAM and L-PBF due to relatively small carbide size, which causes stress concentration in a small material volume, leading to delayed fracture.

Additive manufacturing (AM)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Process-level cost analysis of hybrid manufacturing pathways for aerospace structural components

Hybrid manufacturing is a promising route for producing complex aerospace components, yet systematic cost benchmarking across multiple additive-subtractive pathways remains limited. This study presents a comprehensive process-based cost analysis of seven hybrid manufacturing routes, including laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), powder- and wire-directed energy deposition (DED), wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), additive friction stir deposition (AFSD), metal binder jetting (MBJ), and agility forging, followed by scanning and finish machining. Parametric cost models incorporating direct material, labor, and energy costs were developed. L-PBF results are discussed in detail for a pickle fork component and directly compared with commercial pricing. Across all hybrid routes, labor emerged as the dominant cost driver, contributing more than 70% of total manufacturing cost in some cases. AFSD exhibited the lowest cost for aluminum components, with MBJ being its 316 L stainless steel counterpart, after accounting for geometric scaling. Benchmarking against industrial quotes suggests that hybrid manufacturing can achieve cost levels comparable to those of commercial services, although labor-intensive processes exhibit greater deviation. The analysis highlights automation of material handling, setup, and supervision as key opportunities for improving economic competitiveness. Overall, the proposed framework provides a quantitative basis for evaluating and optimizing hybrid manufacturing pathways for aerospace applications.

Baruah, Sweta [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000174256207)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Process control-enabled mitigation of microstructural and plastic heterogeneities in additively manufactured Grade 91 steel

Synergizing wire arc-directed energy deposition (WA-DED) additive manufacturing (AM) with particle-strengthened creep strength-enhanced ferritic (CSEF) steels enables fabrication and repair of critical power-plant components. Investigations focused on fusion-welded particle-strengthened CSEF steels, such as Grade 91 steel, have linked microstructurally heterogeneous regions—forming due to heat affected zones (HAZ)—with premature failure during elevated temperature service. Fusion-based AM, including WA-DED, likewise generates microstructurally and plastically heterogeneous regions due to spatiotemporally varying thermokinetics during deposition. However, works investigating such microstructural heterogeneities, their implications for mechanical behavior, and strategies to mitigate their formation remain scarce. This work identifies microstructurally and plastically heterogeneous regions within the WA-DED-processed Grade 91 steel. Spatial microhardness variations in the as-fabricated specimen correlate with the variation in the attributes of grain, martensitic microstructure, and precipitates across the fusion zone and HAZ. Digital image correlation-enabled tensile tests performed at 500 °C revealed pronounced deformation localization and a wave-like strain distribution, with wavelength close to the melt pool depth, indicating susceptibility of the as-fabricated components to premature creep failure. Such heterogeneity in microstructural and mechanical behavior was attributed to recurring solid-state phase transformations. Subsequently, an interlayer temperature control strategy was implemented, wherein maintaining interlayer temperature above the martensitic start temperature mitigated the heterogeneous microstructural and plastic response in the as-fabricated condition. Findings open pathways to achieving deformation-localization- and creep-resistant microstructures in WA-DED fabricated particle-strengthened CSEF steel components, reducing reliance on post-welding heat treatments—conventionally required to enhance creep resistance—and enabling on-demand, short lead-time fabrication of next-generation power-plant components.

Heat affected zones↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Large Scale and Multi-Alloy Rocket Engine Component Development using Various Metal Additive Manufacturing Techniques

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been involved with various forms of metallic additive manufacturing (AM) for use in liquid rocket engine component design, development, and testing since 2010. These AM techniques have been demonstrated to significantly reduce hardware cost, shorten fabrication schedules, increase reliability by reducing the number of joints, and improve hardware performance by allowing fabrication of designs not feasible by conventional means. The focus at the NASA MSFC for these metal additive manufacturing techniques include laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF), blown powder directed energy deposition (DED), arc-based deposition, and Laser Wire Direct Closeout (LWDC). A variety of components have been evaluated and tested including thrust chamber injectors, injector components such as faceplates, regeneratively-cooled combustion chambers, regeneratively-cooled nozzles, gas generator and preburner hardware, and augmented spark igniters. To support these component applications in harsh environments, NASA has advanced a variety of “standard” additive manufacturing alloys such as those in the superalloy-family and also evolved new alloys including GRCop-84, GRCop-42, NASA HR-1, and JBK-75. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the various component programs at the NASA MSFC using AM to develop, fabricate, and test combustion devices hardware and the evolution of the new additive alloys. One of these projects that will be highlighted is Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology (RAMPT), which includes new process development for large scale AM components, multi-metallic AM components, including unique component designs using additive manufacturing. Additional information will be provided on the development of other components, hot-fire testing, post-processing of AM techniques including surface enhancements (polishing) techniques, material and process characterization, future development programs, and dissemination of data to industry partners.

Additive Manufacturing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Large Scale and Multi-Alloy Rocket Engine Component Development using Various Metal Additive Manufacturing Techniques

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been involved with various forms of metallic additive manufacturing (AM) for use in liquid rocket engine component design, development, and testing since 2010. These AM techniques have been demonstrated to significantly reduce hardware cost, shorten fabrication schedules, increase reliability by reducing the number of joints, and improve hardware performance by allowing fabrication of designs not feasible by conventional means. The focus at the NASA MSFC for these metal additive manufacturing techniques include laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF), blown powder directed energy deposition (DED), arc-based deposition, and Laser Wire Direct Closeout (LWDC). A variety of components have been evaluated and tested including thrust chamber injectors, injector components such as faceplates, regeneratively-cooled combustion chambers, regeneratively-cooled nozzles, gas generator and preburner hardware, and augmented spark igniters. To support these component applications in harsh environments, NASA has advanced a variety of “standard” additive manufacturing alloys such as those in the superalloy-family and also evolved new alloys including GRCop-84, GRCop-42, NASA HR-1, and JBK-75. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the various component programs at the NASA MSFC using AM to develop, fabricate, and test combustion devices hardware and the evolution of the new additive alloys. One of these projects that will be highlighted is Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology (RAMPT), which includes new process development for large scale AM components, multi-metallic AM components, including unique component designs using additive manufacturing. Additional information will be provided on the development of other components, hot-fire testing, post-processing of AM techniques including surface enhancements (polishing) techniques, material and process characterization, future development programs, and dissemination of data to industry partners.

Additive Manufacturing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparative Study of Additively Manufactured Inconel 625 In the As-Built and Heat-Treated Condition

This study was conducted to characterize the microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 625 manufactured with laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), electron beam melting (EBM), wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), electron beam directed energy deposition (EB-DED), laser powder directed energy deposition (LP-DED), and laser wire directed energy deposition (LW-DED) in both the as built and heat-treated condition. The heat treatment in this study included stress relieving, hot isostatic pressure (HIP), and solution treatment. The effects of the heat treatment on the grain widths and hardness of the alloy will be observed across the technologies before and after heat-treatment. At the end of this study there will be a comparative analysis of the alloy Inconel 625 across the six technologies.

V Luna↗