INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF ANNEALING TEMPERATURE ON THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF SELECTIVELY LASER MELTED Ti6Al4V ALLOY

This research addresses the metallurgical and mechanical response during the annealing of Ti6Al4V parts fabricated by selective laser melting. The as-manufactured Ti6Al4V exhibited a very fine α´ martensitic structure with low ductility of less than 10%. It was observed that the fine α´ martensitic structure transformed into two phases of α and β by applying heat treatments at 850 and 1020 °C followed by furnace cooling. The experimental results demonstrated that 850°C/2h/FC heat treatment has optimum mechanical performance in terms of tensile strength and ductility.