Effect on microstructural and mechanical properties of selective laser melted pure Ti parts using stress relief heat-treatment process

This study investigated the correlation between the microstructure and the mechanical properties of pure Ti specimens manufactured via selective laser melting (SLM) using the stress relief heat-treatment process. Similar heat treatments were performed at a rate of 10 degrees C/min with a dwell time of 2 h to reach post-treatment temperatures ranging from of 490-890 degrees C in intervals of 100 degrees C. Phase change analysis using X-ray diffraction was con-ducted to verify the effects of the post-treatment process, while electron backscatter diffraction analysis was conducted to study the effects of microstructural changes induced by the post-treatment process on the mechanical properties of pure Ti specimens. In addition, a comprehensive analysis was performed to analyze residual stress following the stress relief heat treatment. The findings of this study establish a clear relationship be-tween the mechanical properties and microstructural changes in SLM-manufactured pure Ti after heat treatment across a broad temperature range. Furthermore, the study confirms that heat treatment effectively relieves the residual stress in SLM Ti specimens.(c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study investigates the correlation between the microstructure and mechanical properties of pure Ti specimens manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM) and the effect of stress relief heat treatment. The study finds a clear relationship between mechanical properties and microstructural changes in SLM-manufactured pure Ti after heat treatment and confirms the effectiveness of heat treatment in relieving residual stress.