Establishing Flow Stress and Elongation Relationships as a Function of Microstructural Features of Ti6Al4V Alloy Processed using SLM

Selective laser melting (SLM) is an attractive technology for fabricating complex metal parts with reduced number of processing steps compared to traditional manufacturing technologies. The main challenge in its adoption is the variability in mechanical property produced through this process. Control and understanding of microstructural features affected by the SLM process is the key for achieving desirable mechanical properties. Numerous studies have been published related to microstructure and mechanical properties of SLM printed parts; however, few of those reported end-to-end process–structure–property relationship. Therefore, the current study aims to comprehensively present the widespread microstructure information available on SLM processed Ti6Al4V alloy. Furthermore, its effects on the magnitude and anisotropy of the resultant mechanical properties, such as the yield strength and elongation, has been established. A Hall–Petch relationship is established between α lath size and yield strength magnitude for the as-built, heat-treated, transverse, and longitudinal built samples. The anisotropy in flow stress is established using the α lath size and prior β grain orientation. Percentage elongation was identified to be affected by both α lath size and powder layer thickness, due to its correlation with the prior β columnar grain size. A linear relationship was established between percentage elongation and combined size of α lath and powder layer thickness using the rule of mixtures