Heat Transfer and Phase Formation through EBM 3D-Printing of
Ti-6Al-4V Cylindrical Parts
Vladimir Popov
a
, Alexander Katz-Demyanetz
a
, Menachem Bamberger
b
a
Israel Institute of Metals, Technion R&D Foundation, Technion City, Haifa 32000, Israel
b
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology,
Technion City, Haifa 32000, Israel
Keywords: Additive manufacturing, Heat transfer, Electron beam melting, EBM, Simulation of 3d-
printing, Ti-6Al-4V
Abstract. 3d-printing or additive manufacturing (AM) is a group of novel intensively developed
production processes, through which a "printed" object is fabricated layer-by-layer in a desired
intricate geometrical shape, followed by joining it into a monolithic bulk by means of Electron
Beam (EB) or Laser Beam (LB) melting. The present study concentrates on the production of
simple-shaped (cylindrical) Ti-6Al-4V alloy samples by Electron Beam Melting (EBM). The effect
of heat transfer conditions on the microstructure and properties obtained has been investigated. Heat
transfer modelling and simulation were done utilizing the ABAQUS software package. The
microstructure of the obtained material has been characterized by means of SEM and XRD.
Hardness and microhardness have been also determined and correlated with the simulation results.
Introduction
Ti-6Al-4V – classic aerospace alloy
Pure titanium is an allotropic element, therefore, it has more than one crystallographic
structure, which changes with temperature [1] from a BCC structure (β-phase) within the high
temperature range to a HCP structure (α-phase), at low temperatures [1]. This phase transition
occurs at 883°C, as the transition temperature is highly affected by the alloying elements [2]. The
stabilization of the α-phase is made by raising the temperature to a temperature where this phase is
stable, and the stabilization of β-phase is made by decreasing the temperature to a temperature
where the latter is stable [1].
Titanium alloys may be classified into five large categories, based on their chemical
composition and microstructure at room temperature: α-alloys, near α-alloys, (α+β) alloys,
metastable β-alloys and β-alloys [3]. Out of all the (α +β) alloys, Ti-6Al-4V is the most commonly
used one.
Ti-6Al-4V is a classic
aerospace alloy and the most
popular powder composition
for metallic 3D-printing. Its
properties are strongly
related to the microstructure
[2]. Generally, a lamellar
microstructure improves the
fatigue crack propagation,
creep and oxidization
resistance. Moreover, a
globular structure is
preferred for strength and
ductility [4, 5].
New layer Pre-heating Melting
The platform goes down
Fig. 1. Arcam EBM manufacturing process.
Defect and Diffusion Forum Submitted: 2017-07-13
ISSN: 1662-9507, Vol. 383, pp 190-195 Revised: 2017-10-15
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/DDF.383.190 Accepted: 2017-10-26
© 2018 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland Online: 2018-02-28
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