Influence of wire arc additive manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V on microstructure and mechanical properties for potential large-scale aviation parts

As one of the most common Titanium alloys, Ti-6Al-4V faces new challenges concerning the ecological footprint. Due to the current processes, a high metal chip pollution leads to a Buy-to-Fly of 25:1. In this study the parameter / microstructure relationship of Ti-64 on the mechanical properties are discussed. Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) was applied to build samples for microstructural analyses and compression tests. A stress relief (SR) and a solution treatment and annealing (STA) was performed. It was found that SR had no influence on multi-layered samples due to intrinsic heat-treatment. A STA heat-treatment led to a reduction in the mechanical strength. Helium as process gas resulted in an increased mechanical strength due to higher heat capacity compared to argon