Influence of the Coarse Grain Structure of a Titanium Alloy Ti-4Al-3V Formed by Wire-Feed Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing on Strain Inhomogeneities and Fracture

Abstract

In this work, based on the multilevel approach, the features of the structure and properties of titanium alloy, formed during high-performance additive manufacturing by wire-feed electron beam technology, were studied. Methods of non-destructive X-ray control and tomography, along with optical and scanning electron microscopy, were used to study the structure at different scale levels of the sample material. The mechanical properties of the material under stress were revealed via the simultaneous observation of the peculiarities of deformation development, using a Vic 3D laser scanning unit. Using microstructural and macrostructural data, as well as fractography, the interrelations of structure and material properties caused by the technological features of the printing process and the composition of used welding wire were revealed.