Effects of Location on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cu-8Al-2Ni-2Fe-2Mn Alloy Produced Through Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is successfully applied to the manufacturing of Cu-8Al-2Ni-2Fe-2Mn nickel aluminum bronze alloy. The effects of deposited height on microstructure, tensile properties and microhardness are investigated. Results show that the differences in mechanical properties are related to microstructure anisotropy. The microstructure of the as-deposited condition mainly consists of dendrite, cellular grains, columnar dendrites and equiaxed dendrites. With the increase in height of the deposited wall, the width of the primary dendrite arm spacing successively increases. The microhardness and tensile testing results are differently influenced by the microstructure with the change in positions. The tensile properties, including the ultimate tensile strength and elongation, exhibit anisotropy in the horizontal and vertical directions. The results are explained in detail through temperature field measurement and digital image correlation system. The findings indicate that WAAM is a feasible method to obtain nickel aluminum bronze alloys despite of that fact of anisotropic mechanical characteristics.