Structure and Properties of Alloy Ti–6Al–4V Samples Fabricated by 3D Printing

Abstract

The influence of selective laser melting on the structure and properties of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy samples is studied. The density of the samples fabricated by 3D printing is shown to be almost the same as the density of the deformed semiproducts produced by a commercial technology. The 3D-printed samples are found to have a martensitic structure. The influence of annealing on the structure and properties of the 3D samples is investigated. The strength, the plasticity, and the impact toughness of the 3D-printed samples are shown to be comparable with those of the deformed semiproducts produced by traditional technologies. The relative reduction of area is found to be the most sensitive structural property: it is characterized by instability and a large scatter of its values. The fatigue strength is comparable with that of shaped castings, which is explained by microporosity and the formation of tensile surface stresses.