Determining the influence of technological parameters of electron beam surfacing process on the microstructure and microhardness of Ti-6Al-4V alloy

This paper reports the devised technology and equipment for manufacturing parts and assemblies with pre-defined properties by 3D printing methods. Underlying the technology is the application of a high-power electron beam to fuse metal powder in a vacuum chamber with the formation of successive layers that repeat the contours of the digital model of the product. The object of research is the process of surfacing products made of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy powder. The influence of technological parameters (speed and power of the electron beam) on the formation of the structure of the deposited metal and its mechanical properties was investigated. 3 samples printed under 3 modes were studied: beam speed, 270, 540, and 780 mm/s; power, 240, 495, and 675 W, respectively. The beam energy density was 44.5 J/mm3; the trajectory displacement step was 0.2 mm; the dynamic focusing current Idf was –0.31 A; and the powder layer thickness was 0.1 mm. The samples were examined by conventional methods. The structures were studied using an optical microscope, images were recorded with a camera. The Vickers hardness was measured with a microhardness meter in the direction from the technological supports to the surface of the sample, as well as along the surface of the product, and in the layers of the middle part of the sample. It was established that the articles had a dense cast structure of surfaced metal. On all samples, large crystallites with a uniform lamellar-acicular structure of α´-phase with a small amount of β-phase are formed along the height, mostly without defects with uniform microhardness both along the height and along the surface. It was determined that the surfacing mode at beam speed, 240 mm/s; power, 270 W is the most rational for practical use. Under this mode, a stronger structure is formed when it is crushed, reducing the width of the crystallites by 1.55 and 1.17 times compared to other modes