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Influence of post-heat treatments on microstructural and mechanical properties of LPBF-processed Ti6Al4V alloy

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Abstract

The present study investigates the different post-heat treatments (PHTs) (850 °C, 950 °C, and 1050 °C) to tailor the microstructure and mechanical properties of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)-processed Ti6Al4V alloy. The microstructural features, chemical composition and micro-hardness of as-printed and heat-treated Ti6Al4V samples in longitudinal and transverse directions were characterised using optical microscopy, SEM, EDS, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Vickers’ micro-hardness tester. Detailed XRD analysis was performed to quantify the phase volume fractions in the heat-treated samples. The microstructure of the heat-treated Ti6Al4V samples differed from the as-printed samples in grain structure and morphology. The width of α lath increased nearly twice with PHT temperature (from 850 to 1050 °C) in LPBF-processed samples. During PHT under furnace cooling, the growth of α lath width marginally increases due to a slower cooling rate than air cooling. XRD investigation revealed that the presence of β phase content in the PHTs at 950 °C and 1050 °C was consistent. Further, PHT at a higher temperature (i.e. 1050 °C) favours a higher amount of β phase content than the other PHT temperatures. The presence of (002)-closed pack planes was significantly lower for LPBF-processed Ti6Al4V samples, heat-treated under 1050 °C. The heat-treated LPBF-processed Ti6Al4V sample at 1050 °C exhibited a higher hardness (~ 27%) than the as-printed Ti6Al4V sample due to the higher β content among all the samples. The studied PHTs schemes were beneficial in generating the homogeneous and desirable microstructures for distinctive LPBF parts made of Ti6Al4V alloy befitting practical industrial applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Additive Manufacturing Research Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, Jammu, India

    Akshay Pathania & Anand Kumar Subramaniyan

  2. Gas Turbine Research Establishment, Defense Research and Development Organization, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

    B. K. Nagesha

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  1. Akshay Pathania
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  3. B. K. Nagesha
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Correspondence to Anand Kumar Subramaniyan.

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Pathania, A., Subramaniyan, A.K. & Nagesha, B.K. Influence of post-heat treatments on microstructural and mechanical properties of LPBF-processed Ti6Al4V alloy. Prog Addit Manuf 7, 1323–1343 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-022-00306-6

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