Microstructure and mechanical property of selective laser melted Ti6Al4V dependence on laser energy density

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the influence of laser energy density on microstructure and mechanical properties of the selective laser melted (SLMed) Ti6Al4V to complement the existing knowledge in additive manufacturing of Ti6Al4V for future application of selective laser melting (SLM) in fabricating Ti6Al4V parts. Design/methodology/approach - Ti6Al4V alloy is fabricated by SLM by adopting various energy densities. Microstructures and mechanical properties of the Ti6Al4V deposited using different energy densities are characterized. Findings - Both high relative densities and microhardness can be obtained in the optimized processing window. The decrease of martensite width and spacing can improve the microhardness on both XOY and XOZ sections when the applied EV (defined as the laser energy per unit volume) increases. The width of the columnar grain increases with EV, resulting in a stronger anisotropy in microhardness between XOY and XOZ sections. Residual tensile stresses exist in the SLMed Ti6Al4V and increase with an increasing EV. A tensile strength of 1,268 MPa, a yield strength of 1,030 MPa, and an elongation of 4% can be obtained by using the optimized range of EV. Originality/value - The microstructure of SLMed Ti6Al4V is quantitatively analysed by measuring the size of columnar grains and the martensites. The anisotropy of microstructures and properties in SLMed Ti6Al4V is characterized and its dependence on laser energy density is established. The residual stress in SLMed Ti6Al4V is characterized and its dependence on laser energy density is established. An optimized processing window to deposit Ti6Al4V alloy by SLM is proposed.