Ti6Al4V-ELI Alloy Manufactured Via Laser Powder-Bed Fusion and Heat-Treated below and above the Β-Transus: Effects of Sample Thickness and Sandblasting Post-Process

Ti6Al4V-ELI is the most-used lightweight alloy in the aerospace industrial sector thanks to its high mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. The present paper aims, firstly, to evaluate the effects induced by different heat treatments, which were performed above and below the β-transus temperature on Ti6Al4V-ELI samples manufactured via Laser Powder-Bed Fusion in different orientations (XZ, XY, Z and 45°). The first set of tensile samples and bars were heat-treated at 1050 °C × 1 h, while the second and third set were heat-treated at 704 °C × 120′ following the AMS2801 standard specification, and at 740 °C × 130′. These heat treatments were chosen to improve the as-built mechanical properties according to the ASTM F3001 and also ASTM F2924-14 standard specifications. Optical and SEM measurements reveal primary, secondary and tertiary α-laths below the β-transus, while above this temperature, the microstructure varies in relation to the sample’s thickness. Secondly, this work analyzed the results obtained after a sandblasting process, which was performed on half of all the available heat-treated tensile samples, through XRD and Vickers microhardness measurements. XRD analysis also highlighted the presence of α2-Ti3Al and TiAl3 precipitates and the microstructural change in terms of the α-phase.