Tensile behavior of Ti-6Al-4V alloy fabricated by selective laser melting: effects of microstructures and as-built surface quality

Selective laser melting （SLM） is a powerful additive manufacturing （AM） technology, of which the most prominent advantage is the ability to produce components with a complex geometry. The service performances of the SLM-processed components depend on the microstructure and surface quality. In this work, the microstructures, mechanical properties, and fracture behaviors of SLM-processed Ti-6AI-4V alloy under machined and as-built surfaces after annealing treatments and hot isostatic pressing （HIP） were investigated. The microstructures were analyzed by optical microscope （OM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The mechanical properties were measured by tensile testing at room temperature. The results indicate that the as-deposited microstructures are characterized by columnar grains and fine brittle martensite and the as- deposited properties present high strength, low ductility and obvious anisotropy. After annealing at 800-900~C for 2-4 h and HIP at 920~C/100MPa for 2 h, the brittle martensite could be transformed into ductile lamellar （a＋~） microstructure and the static tensile properties of SLM-processed Ti-6AI-4V alloys in the machined condition could be comparable to that of wrought materials. Even after HIP treatment, the as-built surfaces could decrease the ductility and reduction of area of SLM-processed fi-6AI-4V alloys to 9.2% and 20%, respectively. The crack initiation could occur at the columnar grain boundaries or at the as-built surfaces. The lamellar （a＋13） microstructures and columnar grains could hinder or distort the crack propagation path during tensile tests.

Using Finite Element and Contour Method to Evaluate Residual Stress in Thick Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Welded by Electron Beam Welding

This work was to reveal the residual stress profile in electron beam welded Ti-6Al-4V alloy plates（50 mm thick） by using finite element and contour measurement methods.A three-dimensional finite element model of 50-mmthick titanium component was proposed,in which a column–cone combined heat source model was used to simulate the temperature field and a thermo-elastic–plastic model to analyze residual stress in a weld joint based on ABAQUS software.Considering the uncertainty of welding simulation,the computation was calibrated by experimental data of contour measurement method.Both test and simulated results show that residual stresses on the surface and inside the weld zone are significantly different and present a narrow and large gradient feature in the weld joint.The peak tensile stress exceeds the yield strength of base materials inside weld,which are distinctly different from residual stress of the thin Ti-6Al-4V alloy plates presented in references before.