Investigation, modeling and optimization of abnormal areas of weld beads in wire and arc additive manufacturing

Abstract

Purpose

The modeling and optimization of a weld bead in the middle of the weld are often simple, as the forming process is dynamically balanced. However, the arc striking (AS) and arc extinguishing (AE) areas of weld beads are generally abnormal because the dynamic processes at these areas are unstable. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the abnormal areas of the weld bead with optimization modeling methods in wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM).

Design/methodology/approach

A burning-back method was proposed to fill the slanted plane in the AE area. To optimize the welding parameters and obtain the optimal design, a response surface methodology was proposed to build the relationships between the input parameters and response variables.

Findings

The proposed burning-back method could fill the slanted plane in the AE area. Second-order models of abnormal areas were developed and the optimization effects were analyzed. The experimental results indicated that the relationship models at both ends were applicable and preferable for the optimization of weld beads.

Originality/value

In this paper, a burning-back method was proposed to optimize the slanted plane in the AE area. Second-order models of abnormal areas were established. The methods and models were preferable in the optimization of the abnormal areas in WAAM.

Citation

Tang, S., Wang, G., Huang, C., Li, R., Zhou, S. and Zhang, H. (2020), "Investigation, modeling and optimization of abnormal areas of weld beads in wire and arc additive manufacturing", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 26 No. 7, pp. 1183-1195. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-08-2019-0229