Axial-Flow Impeller with Multi-Material Blades of Nickel Base Alloy and Stainless Steel by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing and Machining

Abstract

The study clarified the value of application to industrial turbomachinery with respect to multi-materialization using wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). First, the tensile strength was investigated by conducting tensile tests on multi-material tensile specimens made of nickel base alloy and stainless steel, which were fabricated using WAAM, under several heat treatment conditions. Then, an axial-flow impeller with multi-material blades made of nickel base alloy and stainless steel was fabricated using WAAM and machining. Furthermore, the fabricated impeller was attached to a centrifugal pump to demonstrate that it can function as an impeller for the pump. It was concluded from these results that the multi-material technology using WAAM is an option for the fabrication of industrial turbomachinery.