The leverage of the wire feed rate on the microstructure and structural rigidity of the Inconel 625 WAAM-printed X-lattice structure

High-strength lightweight structures are of utmost importance in the locomotive and automobile sectors. The lattice structures fabricated with high-strength materials are a viable solution. However, this research highlights the Wire Arc Additive Manufactured (WAAM) lightweight structure with the implementation of X-lattice, despite the structural strength improvement being mitigated by controlling the Wire Feed Rate (WFR) of the WAAM process. The two different WFRs, like 2.5 m/min (low) and 5 m/min (high), were used to deposit the Inconel 625 X-lattice structure. The extensive microstructure analysis reveals excellent grain refinement for the low WFR deposition, through which the mechanical properties are substantially improved. Further, the defects and microvoids present in the high WFR deposition contribute to the poor mechanical properties. Invariably, a post-fractured surface morphology of tensile, flexural and compression fractures corroborate the dominant contribution of reduced cohesive segregation, brittle Laves phase and microvoid formation due to the fast cooling in the premature failure by absorbing minimal tensile, flexural and compressive load.