Densification, Tailored Microstructure, and Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser Melted Ti-6Al-4V Alloy via Annealing Heat Treatment

This work investigated the influence of process parameters on the densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy printed by selective laser melting (SLM), followed by annealing heat treatment. In particular, the evolution mechanisms of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the printed alloy with respect to the annealing temperature near the beta phase transition temperature were investigated. The process parameter optimization of SLM can lead to the densification of the printed Ti-6Al-4V alloy with a relative density of 99.51%, accompanied by an ultimate tensile strength of 1204 MPa and elongation of 7.8%. The results show that the microstructure can be tailored by altering the scanning speed and annealing temperature. The SLM-printed Ti-6Al-4V alloy contains epitaxial growth beta columnar grains and internal acicular martensitic alpha ' grains, and the width of the beta columnar grain decreases with an increase in the scanning speed. Comparatively, the printed alloy after annealing in the range of 750-1050 degrees C obtains the microstructure consisting of alpha + beta dual phases. In particular, network and Widmanstatten structures are formed at the annealing temperatures of 850 degrees C and 1050 degrees C, respectively. The maximum elongation of 14% can be achieved at the annealing temperature of 950 degrees C, which was 79% higher than that of as-printed samples. Meanwhile, an ultimate tensile strength larger than 1000 MPa can be maintained, which still meets the application requirements of the forged Ti-6Al-4V alloy.