Effect of surface roughness and industrial heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti6Al4V alloy manufactured by laser powder bed fusion in different built orientations

The emergence of powder bed fusion in recent years has made it one of the most demanded additive manufacturing technologies for Ti6Al4V alloys in the biomedical and aerospace industries due to its ease of part fabrication with complex geometry. However, Ti6Al4V components require a post-processing treatment to optimize their mechanical properties for engineering applications. The present study offers an analysis of the effects of different industrial heat treatments (704 °C for 120 min, 740 °C for 130 min) on the microstructure and tensile properties of Ti6Al4V samples manufactured by laser powder bed fusion in different orientations (Z, 45°, XY and XZ). These heat treatments were selected to improve the mechanical properties of the as-built material and to obtain samples representative of real industrial applications. SEM observations illustrated that the α’ martensite grown in the columnar parent β-grains was converted into an α+β mixture after both heat treatments. EBSD showed that the newly formed α phase maintained, inside the parent β grains, the same orientation relationship as the as-built α′ martensite. However, on a macroscopic scale, the α phase exhibited no preferential orientation. The heat-treated samples, which exhibited approximately 10% lower ultimate tensile strength and yield strength than the as built samples but a 10–13% higher elongation, were practically isotropic in their mechanical response. What little anisotropy was left was mainly attributed to few elongated interlamellar pores. The sandblasting process was also investigated; it did not affect the static mechanical properties of the samples but it reduced the Ra values by 25%. Finally, Vickers microhardness vs. strength relationships were studied by considering the α-phase orientation.