Experimental study and constitutive modelling of wire arc additively manufactured steel under cyclic loading

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is an efficient and cost-effective method of metal 3D printing that is well suited to structural engineering applications. Fundamental test data on the mechanical properties of WAAM materials, especially under cyclic loading, are however lacking. To address this, an experimental study into the cyclic behaviour of WAAM steel plates has been undertaken and is reported herein. Following geometric and quasi-static mechanical characterisation, a total of 40 as-built and machined coupons were tested under different cyclic loading protocols. Key results from the tests, including the full hysteresis curves, are presented and discussed. A cyclic constitutive model allowing for a yield plateau and the degradation of elastic modulus is proposed and validated against the test data. It is shown that the examined WAAM steel exhibited cyclic hardening behaviour dependent on the strain amplitude and strain history. The elastic modulus of the WAAM material was found to decrease in the first few cycles and then remain stable with increasing accumulated plastic strain. Good energy dissipation performance was also observed, indicating the potential of WAAM steels for seismic applications.