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This work deals with the investigation and characterization of Ti6Al4V parts produced with an intriguing manufacturing process belonging to the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) family: the Cold Metal Transfer technology (CMT). Wall‐shaped parts were produced according to different process parameters, namely the wire feed speed and voltage–current combinations, leading to different energy inputs. The parts were characterized in terms of surface morphology, microhardness, microstructure, tensile properties, and fatigue crack growth. The results suggested that the investigated deposition parameters led to similar results. Moreover, the mechanical and fatigue crack growth behavior was in line with parts of the same alloy produced through other manufacturing routes, whereas the microstructure type was the result of the fast cooling of the molten material. Finally, considering the simple system adopted to avoid oxidation during the deposition stage, the results suggested that CMT is a promising manufacturing technique for titanium alloy semifinished parts. Highlights: Wall‐like parts made of Ti6Al4V alloy were produced through WAAM‐CMT technologySound parts with minimum oxidation were produced through a simple enveloping systemThe parts had properties similar to those of more traditional manufacturing routesThe microstructure, tensile, and fatigue crack growth behavior were quite isotropic [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sintered gears manufactured through powder metallurgy technology contain residual porosity that can make them inadequate for high power supply. Crack propagation is significantly enhanced by both residual porosity and cyclical stresses involving the teeth. The use of densification processes can highly improve their performances, permitting the reduction of the residual porosity. Among the densification processes, the rolling assumes a key-role. The process permits the densification of the tooth flanks, the most stressed parts of the wheel. However, the performances of the rolled wheel depend on several process parameters, whose setup phase requires several efforts and many experiments. Finite element (FE) model can be a helpful tool, allowing a faster estimation of the process parameters, reducing waste and costs linked to the experimental tests. In this sense, FE modelling techniques discussed in literature only cover the simulation of spur gears densification process, since they consist of in-plane 2D finite elements. In this paper, different numerical modelling techniques, based on 2D finite elements, are proposed to simulate the densification process of spur gears and used to perform a tendency analysis to explore the effects of wheelbase reduction between the forming rollers on the material densification. Material densification appeared higher for reduced wheelbases, but an increasing cavity was observed at the tooth root as the wheelbases decreases. Moreover, a FE model based on 3D finite elements is proposed to reproduce numerically the rolling process of a helical gear. The accuracy of the 3D FE model was measured against the results provided by some experimental tests, herein discussed too. A good agreement between numerical and experimental results was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• risk analysis of climate-induced fatigue on wooden surfaces inside six rural Swedish churches. • Past monitoring campaigns used for gathering info about number/entity of thermal fluctuations. • Investigated constant- and variable-amplitude climate-induced fatigue behaviors. ○ Assessed possible damage accumulation caused by repeated thermal fluctuations over time. ○ Compared results with surface decay level from in-situ conservation surveys. Environmental variations of Temperature (T) and Relative Humidity (RH) in air cause a superficial and/or sub-surface deformation (shrinkage/swelling) of organic hygroscopic objects, as for example wood. These environmental variations may be due to the natural variability of climate, to the use of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems and to the presence of people. This contribution focuses on a group of wooden rural churches located in harsh climates in Sweden. The churches, which are still in use for the local communities, are heated during wintertime to reach acceptable indoor comfort levels causing potentially risky T and RH fluctuations for hygroscopic objects. In this framework, the main goal is assessing the risk of fracture on wooden structural elements caused by hygrothermal fluctuations. The method is based on a preliminary approach for reconstructing the climate history experienced by a typical wooden structural element of these churches and that, over time, results in a cyclic fatigue loading, naturally induced by the outdoor climate. Then, the effect of the artificial heating on the indoor microclimate and, therefore, on the reconstructed fatigue curve is assessed. Main outcomes were obtained by using a methodology that is preliminary based on simplifying assumptions, due to a severe lack of knowledge, in literature, about the fatigue behavior of wood. Finally, main considerations on the fatigue behavior of exposed wooden elements are drawn up, namely the estimation of their residual life (or "life-to-damage"), which may support conservators or church managers in better managing the microclimate to reduce the risk of fracture on valuable objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]