In the present work, experimental trials were conducted with Ti–6Al–4V sheet. The influence of process parameters on the weld bead geometry of bead on joint welding and butt joint configuration was studied. It was concluded that at high current and low travel speed, the heat input was found to be maximum. This led to a higher linear heat input over the base metal that subsequently yielded a full depth of penetration. The strength and integrity of the welded butt joint configuration were ascertained by tensile and bend tests. The microhardness values of the fusion and heat-affected zones were concluded to be higher compared to the base metal. In addition, an Erichsen cupping test ensured that the formability of the welded specimen was comparable to that of the base metal.

Titanium and its alloy are attractive materials used worldwide for various applications, especially for manufacturing fusion reactors and pressure vessels. This study aims to provide knowledge on the microstructural and mechanical characteristics of titanium grade 9 wall fabricated using wire feeding additive manufacturing (WFAM) with gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW)-aided technique. An inert environment is provided during the process to manufacture a defect-free wall. Due to varying thermal cycles, there is a variation in the microstructure of the WFAM processed wall. The change in the texture of the WFAM processed wall is analysed through electron backscatter diffraction spectroscopy (inverse pole figures and pole figures), which influences the material properties. The WFAM processed wall exhibits superior mechanical characteristics compared to wrought alloys. Numerous morphologies in the fractured surface infer the occurrence of ductile fracture. A comparative study has been conducted between the outcomes of finite element simulation and experimental results. The results of finite element simulation and experimentation were in good agreement. The compilation of results gathered from mechanical and microstructural characterization shows that gas tungsten arc welding-aided-WFAM titanium grade 9 wall is suitable for fabricating fusion reactors and pressure vessels. Hence, first-hand knowledge is gained on the fabrication of fusion reactors and pressure vessels in nuclear application using the tungsten arc welding-aided-WFAM titanium grade 9 wall.

Titanium is as strong as steel with less density. Therefore, titanium and its alloys are used in several engineering applications. The primary benefits of using titanium alloys in the production of high-performance components include their light weight, superior tensile strength and exceptional corrosion resistance. Titanium alloys have the capacity to keep their characteristics even at high temperatures. Because of their low density and capacity to withstand temperature extremes, these alloys are mostly utilised in airplanes, spacecraft and missiles. Many of the initiatives to save costs in the production of titanium components are based on additive manufacturing. This study aims to provide preliminary insight into the microstructural and mechanical behaviour of commercially pure grade-2 titanium (CP-Gr-2-Ti) structured wall fabricated by gas tungsten arc welding assisted layer-by-layer manufacturing (GTAW-assisted-LM). Ideal process variables were selected through the trial-and-error method. The vacuum chamber was used during fabrication to ensure that the wall was free of contamination. The anisotropy in the LM processed wall is studied with different orientations of tensile samples. The variation in the microstructure observed in LM processed wall was due to varying complex thermal cycles. The phase texture and grain nature of the wall was studied using pole figures and inverse pole figures. The LM-processed wall exhibits better mechanical properties compared to wrought alloys. The fractography revealed several morphologies indicating that the fractured samples were ductile. Hence, a piece of first-hand information and experience is gained in this research work.

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