Low-temperature creep performance of additive manufactured Ti–6Al–4V

Additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of versatile and cost-effective metallic-alloy components from a digital data model. This study explores the prospects of selective laser melting (SLM), an additive manufacturing technique, for fabricating Ti6Al4V alloy components from Ti6Al4V alloy powders. Selective laser melting parameters, such as laser power, scanning speed, powder thickness, hatching space, and scanning strategy, are carefully selected through a series of experiments. The metallurgical characteristics (microstructure, grain orientation, and phase composition), microhardness, and creep performance of the as-fabricated specimens are tested and analyzed. The kinetics of phase transformation and rupture mechanism are determined using advanced instrumental characterization tools, such as field emission scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope, X-ray diffractometer, and transmission electron microscope.