ABSTRACT
Currently, blades of maritime propellers are mostly cast and this manufacturing process is well-known. However, large cast parts suffer geometrical constraints, shrinkage cavity, coarse microstructure, important lead times, etc. Additive manufacturing and more specifically the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process is a promising alternative to casting. Centrale Nantes and Naval Group have worked together to manufacture additively a hollow blade by taking advantage of the WAAM process capabilities. Hollow blades will make the propeller lighter, overall improving the hydrodynamics capacities and modifying the noise and the vibrations. The final aim of the project is to build a 6 meters propeller. To achieve this objective, a material characterisation on a duplex stainless steel was performed to ensure good mechanical properties. Then, a preliminary step of process engineering was achieved on sensitive areas of a hollow blade to finally successfully manufacture a demonstrative part.
