Effect of annealing treatment on microstructure and properties of low-cost selective laser melting HDH Ti6Al4V
摘要
In this study, Ti6Al4V titanium alloy was fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM) technology, employing non-spherical Ti6Al4V powder prepared through the cost-effective hydrogenation–dehydrogenation process. This approach significantly reduces the production cost of titanium alloys, representing an advancement towards the industrial-scale cost reduction of Ti6Al4V fabrication. The experimental results revealed that optimized SLM parameters enabled the achievement of a high relative density of 99.95%. The as-built specimens exhibited an acicular α′ martensitic structure with an average grain size of 10 ± 2 μm, corresponding to a hardness value of 460 HV. Post-process annealing at 700 °C–induced partial phase transformation from acicular α′ martensite to α + β dual-phase structure, with increasing temperature leading to reduced martensite size, decreased hardness, and increased β phase content. Notably, annealing at 1000 °C resulted in a hardness of 470 HV and β phase content of 19.2%. Compression tests revealed that annealing induced yielding behavior, with compressive strength and strain following the Hall-Petch relationship through their linear dependence on d−1/2 (α lath width). The mapping relationship between process, microstructure and properties was established, which provided a theoretical basis for process, microstructure optimization and performance improvement.