Buckling tests on wire arc additively manufactured SHS Columns

Abstract An experimental study into the flexural buckling response of wire arc additively manufactured (WAAM) columns is presented in this paper. A total of six square hollow section (SHS) columns were tested under axial compression with pin‐ended boundary conditions. The lengths of the members were varied to achieve a wide range of member slendernesses. Owing to the undulating as‐built profile introduced by WAAM, 3D laser scanning was adopted to capture the geometry and global imperfections of the specimens, while digital image correlation (DIC) was employed to monitor the surface deformation of the specimens during testing. The full load‐deformation histories and key experimental results are presented and discussed. The applicability of the column design provisions set out in EN 1993‐1‐4 to WAAM members is subsequently assessed using the obtained test results.