Towards a design approach for Wire-and-Arc Additively Manufactured stainless-steel elements

Additive Manufacturing has become more and more relevant in the recent years in the construction industry, while still being at its initial stage. In particular, Wire-and-Arc Additively Manufactured (WAAM) stainless-steel elements have yet to be properly analyzed from a structural response point-of-view, though many experimental campaigns and studies are being carried out to this day. This study is focused on the analysis of the results of tests conducted on WAAM-produced 308LSi stainless-steel specimens, in order to characterize the mechanical and geometrical properties of the printed material and calibrate design values by means of Annex D of Eurocode 0, which outlines procedures to carry out the safety analysis of the resistance function, hence the definition of partial safety factors, aiming at a semi-probabilistic design approach. Moreover, by means of available Digital Twins of produced and tested specimens, different approaches are followed for the understanding of the influence of geometrical irregularities on the behavior of the material, in terms of stress-strain relationship. Regarding this, a series of calibrations are performed in order to quantify said influence, with a particular focus on the elastic behavior.