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Mechanical and surface properties of 3D-printed TI6AL4V alloy parts fabricated by selective laser melting under extreme conditions
Altun, Fatih Altun, Fatih
Altun, Fatih
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2025-07
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Additive manufacturing has gained significant prominence in the aerospace industry due to its ca-pability to minimize material waste while enabling the fabrication of components with complex geometries that would be challenging or impossible to produce using conventional manufacturing methods. Among the various materials employed in aerospace applications, Ti6Al4V Grade 5 titanium alloy is particularly val-ued for its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, superior corrosion resistance, and excellent biocompatibil-ity. Selective Laser Melting (SLM), a powder bed fusion additive manufacturing technique, facilitates the layer-by-layer fabrication of intricate Ti6Al4V components with precise dimensional control. Despite these advantages, the SLM process introduces several challenges, including rapid thermal cycles, residual inter-nal stresses, microstructural heterogeneities, and potential structural defects such as porosity and lack of fusion. In the herein study, the surface and mechanical properties of a 3D-printed, additively manufactured Ti6Al4V part under extreme conditions were examined. The manufactured specimens were subjected to various tests, such as stress-relieving treatment, cryogenic treatment, hardness, tensile, wettability, and cor-rosion testing. X-ray diffraction analysis, Microhardness measurements, more significant hardness en-hancement was achieved through the application of WC-Co coatings.
Wettability assessments revealed that both as-printed and stress-relieved samples displayed hydro-philic behaviour due to higher surface energy. Fatigue testing demonstrated that stress-relieved specimens achieved superior fatigue life compared to cryogenically treated specimens. Tensile evaluations yielded an Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of 1126.96 MPa and a 0.2% Offset Yield Strength (YS) of 1040.82 MPa for stress-relieved samples, while cryogenically treated specimens exhibited marginally lower values (UTS of 1118.36 MPa and YS of 1034.89 MPa). Microstructural characterization via laser microscopy and scan-ning electron microscopy revealed needle-shaped α′ martensitic structures within prior β grains, attributed to rapid solidification and cooling during the laser processing. The phase transformation (β→α′) was iden-tified as a consequence of the high cooling rates inherent to the SLM process. Porosity defects were also observed during microstructural examination.
This research provides valuable insights into the optimization of post-processing treatments for SLM-manufactured Ti6Al4V components intended for extreme operating conditions, contributing to the advancement of additive manufacturing technologies for critical applications.
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Thesis (M.S.)-- Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
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Wichita State University
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© Copyright 2025 by Fatih Altun
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