The conventional manufacturing process for ER5183 Al–Mg alloys encounters challenges in producing large, complex structures with reduced material waste and consistent characteristics. GMAW-based Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) can address these challenges. The present study investigates ER5183 aluminium alloy walls produced by GMAW-based wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The effect of build height on phase composition, microstructure, porosity, mechanical properties, microhardness, and corrosion resistance is thoroughly investigated. X-ray diffraction shows that the deposits are dominated by a face-centred cubic (FCC) α-Al matrix throughout the build, with major peaks at 2θ = 38.5°, 44.7° and 58.2°. SEM–EDS analysis shows Mg2Si and FeSi-based intermetallics in the α-Al matrix with increasing coarsening and pore size towards the top, while the overall porosity remains low (0.82%). Tensile behaviour shows a dependence on built height and specimen orientation, with horizontally extracted samples having higher strength and ductility. The bottom region shows the highest performance (UTS 288 MPa, yield strength 185 MPa, elongation 23%), followed by the middle (265 MPa, 170 MPa, 20%) and top (245 MPa, 155 MPa, 18%) regions, while vertically extracted specimens show lower values (UTS 225 MPa, yield strength 135 MPa, elongation 16%). A modest decrease in the microhardness is observed with increasing built height, from 84.5 HV at the bottom to around 76 HV at the top. Electrochemical measurement in a chloride-containing environment yields an average Ecorr of − 1.180 V and an average icorr of 3.51 × 10− 6 A cm− 2, corresponding to a corrosion rate of approximately 0.039 mm year− 1. WAAM can provide a cost-effective method for fabricating ER5183 aluminium alloy components with low porosity and excellent corrosion resistance, supporting their use in marine and structural applications.
Vignesh et al. (2026) studied this question.