Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing – Forging Process Chain Simulation Analysis of Aluminium Alloy

Abstract

This research models an efficient process chain for combining wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) and forging operations to evaluate process properties and identify the optimal strategy for minimizing stress and displacement, ensuring dimensional accuracy in thin-wall component. Simufact.Welding software was used to simulate the WAAM process for Al 6061 and ER 5356, examining various fixture strategies, substrate thicknesses, heat inputs, and electrical parameters. The simulations revealed that singular heat input along with dual fixtures led to reduced distortion and displacement. The geometry resulting from WAAM was imported into Simufact.Forging to test five different press stroke strategies. It was found that single press strokes with 2 mm reduction showed the minimum effective plastic strain, and maximum with 6 mm reduction. Multi-press strokes, although showing similar performance, were preferred for their ability to reduce impact loads and improve material properties, with effective plastic strain and stress ranging from 0.01 to 0.09 and 0.86 to 32.90 MPa, respectively. The simulations accurately predicted deformation and residual stress, confirming that Case A using 25.4 mm substrate thickness and 2 clamping with single heat input is the optimal strategy for minimizing distortion and stress while maintaining process efficiency.