Corrosion-fatigue crack growth behaviour of wire arc additively manufactured ER100S-1 steel specimens. (August 2022) - Ermakova, Anna
Highlights: Top WAAM specimens exhibit longer fatigue life and lower CFCG rates. Vertical WAAM specimens show longer test duration compared to horizontal specimens. The upper bound CFCG trends fall below BS7910 recommended crack growth trends. Bottom samples showed a lower ductility hence higher CFCG rates. The vertical specimens demonstrated elongated failure features. Abstract: The wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) technology is a promising fabrication technique which has been proven to have many advantages for producing large structures; however, the fatigue and corrosion-fatigue performance of WAAM steel components for application in the marine environments is still unexplored. In this study, the WAAM technique was employed to fabricate four specimens made of ER100S-1 steel, which were then tested under cyclic loading conditions in seawater to assess the corrosion-fatigue crack growth (CFCG) behaviour and hence suitability of this fabrication technology for offshore renewable energy applications. The test duration, cracking mechanisms and CFCG rate were investigated for each specimen and the material's behaviour was investigated by considering the microstructural examinations. Furthermore, the obtained results were compared with the BS7910 standard recommended trends and experimental data available in the literature for conventionally built weldments made of different grades of steel which are commonly used for offshore applications.