Controlling the porosity using exponential decay heat input regimes during electron beam wire-feed additive manufacturing of Al-Mg alloy

Electron beam wire-feed additive manufacturing is given less attention in research community compared with other additive manufacturing methods, despite it allows higher deposition rate and less porosity. However, both gas and shrinking porosity are still met even with this method especially if applied to light alloys. The excess heat input may be the reason for evaporation of volatile metals, and forming the gas pores especially in the top layers of the built sample where cooling rate is reduced. Therefore, exponential decay heat input was used to grow AA5356 samples. Microstructural and mechanical characterization of the samples obtained at mean low, medium, and high heat input levels was carried out. An optimal heat input gradient was determined which allowed growing a defect-free metal in the bottom part of the sample and forcing out the shrinkage cavities to the top part. Shrinkage and gas pore structure formation was analyzed as a function of the heat input gradient and along the building direction. Gas pores resulted at two higher heat input regimes as a result of evaporation of magnesium as supported by the results of EDS and XRD. Tensile test showed the ultimate strength of the defect-free part equal to that of the base AA5356.