Fatigue strength of hot-dip galvanized additively manufactured steel

This study investigated the fatigue resistance of additively manufactured steel plates with galvanized surfaces. Therefore, the effects of hot-dip galvanization (HDG) on the surface characteristics, mechanical properties, and fatigue resistance of the manufactured samples were investigated. This research involved measurements of the surface roughness and waviness before and after the HDG process to assess the impact of the zinc layer. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in the distribution of surface roughness; however, microscopic examination revealed sharper notches owing to the vertical growth of the zinc layer.Quasi-static tension tests demonstrated that HDG has a minimal influence on the yield strength, provided that the load transfer contribution of the soft zinc layer is excluded. Nonetheless, the mean elongation at fracture was slightly reduced in the HDG samples. Remarkably, a significant effect on fatigue resistance was observed with a detail category of 80 and an inverse slope of m = 3. This fatigue resistance aligned closely with that of the aswelded samples under high stress ranges while demonstrating a lower resistance under smaller stress ranges.

Automated summary

This study investigated the fatigue resistance of additively manufactured steel plates with galvanized surfaces. The results showed that hot-dip galvanization had no significant effect on the growth of the zinc layer and surface roughness, but it resulted in sharper notches. Furthermore, the research found that HDG had minimal influence on yield strength but slightly reduced the mean elongation at fracture. Importantly, significant decrease in fatigue resistance was observed under certain conditions (detail category 80, inverse slope m = 3).