Compound Structure–Composition Control on the Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser-Melted Titanium Alloys

Abstract

In the performance optimization of the additive manufacturing of Ti6Al4V components, conventional control methods have difficulty taking into account the requirements of quality and mechanical properties of components, resulting in insufficient mechanical properties and a small control range. Therefore, combining the advantages of porous structure and alloy composition control, this paper proposed a structure–composition composite control method for selective laser-fused titanium alloy components by coupling the effects of porous structure parameters and boron content on the properties of Ti6Al4V components. Based on the Gibson–Ashby formula, the compression test of porous Ti6Al4V alloy and the tensile test of boron-containing Ti6Al4V alloy were carried out by SLM forming technology. The parameters C and n related to the pore parameters of porous structure were solved by the experimental data, and the analytical relationship between the pore parameters and the mechanical properties of Ti6Al4V alloy was established. The analytical relationship between boron content (t wt%) and mechanical properties of the alloy was established by tensile test. Finally, the Gibson–Ashby formula was used to combine the above analytical relationship, and a composite regulation model of compressive strength was obtained. The results show that the control range of the composite model ranges from 19.46–416.47 MPa, which was 45.53% higher than that obtained by controlling only pore parameters, and performance improved by 42.49%. The mechanical properties of the model are verified and the deviation between calculated values and experimental values was less than 1.3%. Taking aviation rocker arm as an example, the optimized design can improve the strength and reduce the mass of rocker arm by 51.94%. This method provides a theoretical basis for expanding the application of Ti6Al4V additive manufacturing components in aerospace and other fields.