Research on Selective Laser Melting of Ti6Al4V: Surface Morphologies, Optimized Processing Zone, and Ductility Improvement Mechanism

The quality and mechanical properties of titanium alloy fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM) are critical to the adoption of the process which has long been impeded by the lack of uniformity in SLM-fabrication parameter optimization. In order to address this problem, laser power and scanning speed were combined into linear energy density as an independent variable, while surface morphology was defined as a metric. Based on full-factor experiments, the surface quality of SLM-fabricated titanium alloy was classified into five zones: severe over-melting zone, high-energy density nodulizing zone, smooth forming zone, low-energy density nodulizing zone, and sintering zone. The mechanism resulting in the creation of each zone was analyzed. Parameter uniformity was achieved by establishing a parameter window for each zone, and it also revealed that under smooth forming conditions, the relationship of linear energy density to the quality of the formed surface is not linear. It was also found that fabrication efficiency could be improved in the condition of the formation of a smooth surface by increasing laser power and scanning speed. In addition, maximum elongation of the SLM-fabricated titanium alloy increased when the densified parts were processed using an appropriate heat treatment, from a low value of 5.79% to 10.28%. The mechanisms of change in ductility of the alloy were thoroughly analyzed from the perspectives of surface microstructure and fracture morphology. Results indicate that after heat treatment, the microcosmic structure of the alloy was converted from acicular martensite alpha' phase to a layered alpha + beta double-phase structure, the fracture type also changed from quasi-cleavage to ductile fracture.