# Plasma Arc Robot for Direct Wall High-Entropy Alloy Additive Manufacturing

## TL;DR

This study explores using plasma arc additive manufacturing to create thin-walled high-entropy alloys, improving material quality and understanding structural properties.

## Contribution

The novel use of plasma arc additive manufacturing with swing technology to produce and analyze thin-walled high-entropy alloys is presented.

## Key findings

- The thin-walled AlCoCrFeNi alloy shows similar proportions of columnar and intergranular dendrites with uniform cross-shaped columnar dendrites.
- Longitudinal specimens exhibit refined FCC structures and improved elongation with increased height.
- Stress concentration occurs in specimens perpendicular to the deposition direction during tensile testing.

## Abstract

What are the implications of the main findings?
Thin walled AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy was prepared using plasma arc additive manufacturing combined with swing technology to improve forming quality and material density.Systematically study the microstructural evolution and anisotropic mechanical properties, and reveal the mechanism of the influence of sedimentary height on the evolution of FCC/BCC phases.

Thin walled AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy was prepared using plasma arc additive manufacturing combined with swing technology to improve forming quality and material density.

Systematically study the microstructural evolution and anisotropic mechanical properties, and reveal the mechanism of the influence of sedimentary height on the evolution of FCC/BCC phases.

Through the mechanical analysis of AlCoCrFeNi thin-walled high-entropy alloy materials fabricated by plasma arc additive manufacturing, this study examines the practical application prospects of plasma arc manufacturing technology for thin-walled high-entropy alloys and explores its future development directions. Using a plasma arc oscillation process, a 50-layer fine additive experiment was conducted on AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy materials employing both reciprocating and layer-by-layer accumulation methods. The samples were analyzed for overall appearance, microstructure, hardness, and tensile properties. The results indicate that the proportions of columnar and intergranular dendrites in the thin-walled high-entropy alloy specimens are similar, and the columnar dendrites exhibit a uniformly sized cross shape. The variation in Vickers microhardness along the horizontal direction shows lower strength at the edge positions, gradually increasing with horizontal distance. A comparison of the alloy’s transverse and longitudinal tensile specimens revealed that samples parallel to the deposition direction exhibit more regular structural arrangements, while specimens perpendicular to the deposition direction show unavoidable stress concentration at the deposition sites during tensile testing. With the increase in the height of the longitudinal specimens, the FCC structures in the alloy are significantly refined, the organizational arrangement becomes more regular, and the elongation increases. This study elucidates the plasma arc preparation technique for thin-walled high-entropy alloy materials, which is expected to achieve precise control over material composition, accurate observation of grain refinement, and uniform distribution of Vickers hardness, thereby enhancing the mechanical properties and thermal stability of the materials, with promising applications in aerospace, energy, and industrial fields.