This study explores the profound impact of varying oxygen content on microstructural and mechanical properties in specimens HO and LO. The higher oxygen concentration in specimen HO is found to significantly influence alpha lath sizes, resulting in a size of 0.5-1 μm, contrasting with the 1-1.5 μm size observed in specimen LO. Pore fraction, governed by oxygen concentration, is high in specimen HO, registering a value of 0.11%, whereas specimen LO exhibits a lower pore fraction (0.02%). Varied pore types in each specimen further underscore the role of oxygen concentration in shaping microstructural morphology. Despite these microstructural variations, the average hardness remains consistent at ~370 HV. This study emphasizes the pivotal role of oxygen content in influencing microstructural features, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplay between elemental composition and material properties.

The Ti-6Al-4V lattice structure is widely used in the aerospace industry owing to its high specific strength, specific stiffness, and energy absorption. The quality, performance, and surface roughness of the additively manufactured parts are significantly dependent on various process parameters. Therefore, it is important to study process parameter optimization for relative density and surface roughness control. Here, the part density and surface roughness are examined according to the hatching space, laser power, and scan rotation during laser-powder bed fusion (LPBF), and the optimal process parameters for LPBF are investigated. It has high density and low surface roughness in the specific process parameter ranges of hatching space (0.06–0.12 mm), laser power (225–325 W), and scan rotation (15°). In addition, to investigate the compressive behavior of the lattice structure, a finite element analysis is performed based on the homogenization method. Finite element analysis using the homogenization method indicates that the number of elements decreases from 437,710 to 27 and the analysis time decreases from 3,360 to 9 s. In addition, to verify the reliability of this method, stress–strain data from the compression test and analysis are compared.

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• Enhanced Microstructure and Wear Resistance of Ti–6Al–4V Alloy with Vanadium Carbide Coating via Directed Energy Deposition
  Ui Jun Ko, Ju Hyeong Jung, Jung Hyun Kang, Kyunsuk Choi, Jeoung Han Kim
  Materials.2024; 17(3): 733.     CrossRef
• Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy through Selective Laser Melting: Comprehensive Study on the Effect of Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP)
  Gargi Roy, Raj Narayan Hajra, Woo Hyeok Kim, Jongwon Lee, Sangwoo Kim, Jeoung Han Kim
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2024; 31(1): 1.     CrossRef

Although the Ti–6Al–4V alloy has been used in the aircraft industry owing to its excellent mechanical properties and low density, the low formability of the alloy hinders broadening its applications. Recently, laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) has become a novel process for overcoming the limitations of the alloy (i.e., low formability), owing to the high degree of design freedom for the geometry of products having outstanding performance used in hightech applications. In this study, to investigate the effect of bulk shape on the microstructure and mechanical properties of L-PBFed Ti-6Al-4V alloys, two types of samples are fabricated using L-PBF: thick and thin samples. The thick sample exhibits lower strength and higher ductility than the thin sample owing to the larger grain size and lower residual dislocation density of the thick sample because of the heat input during the L-PBF process.

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• Cryogenic Tensile Behavior of Ferrous Medium-entropy Alloy Additively Manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion
  Seungyeon Lee, Kyung Tae Kim, Ji-Hun Yu, Hyoung Seop Kim, Jae Wung Bae, Jeong Min Park
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2024; 31(1): 8.     CrossRef
• Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy through Selective Laser Melting: Comprehensive Study on the Effect of Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP)
  Gargi Roy, Raj Narayan Hajra, Woo Hyeok Kim, Jongwon Lee, Sangwoo Kim, Jeoung Han Kim
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2024; 31(1): 1.     CrossRef
• Data-driven Approach to Explore the Contribution of Process Parameters for Laser Powder Bed Fusion of a Ti-6Al-4V Alloy
  Jeong Min Park, Jaimyun Jung, Seungyeon Lee, Haeum Park, Yeon Woo Kim, Ji-Hun Yu
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2024; 31(2): 137.     CrossRef
• High-speed manufacturing-driven strength-ductility improvement of H13 tool steel fabricated by selective laser melting
  Yeon Woo Kim, Haeum Park, Young Seong Eom, Dong Gill Ahn, Kyung Tae Kim, Ji-hun Yu, Yoon Suk Choi, Jeong Min Park
  Powder Metallurgy.2023; 66(5): 582.     CrossRef

Powder flowability is critical in additive manufacturing processes, especially for laser powder bed fusion. Many powder features, such as powder size distribution, particle shape, surface roughness, and chemical composition, simultaneously affect the flow properties of a powder; however, the individual effect of each factor on powder flowability has not been comprehensively evaluated. In this study, the impact of particle shape (sphericity) on the rheological properties of Ti-6Al-4V powder is quantified using an FT4 powder rheometer. Dynamic image analysis is conducted on plasma-atomized (PA) and gas-atomized (GA) powders to evaluate their particle sphericity. PA and GA powders exhibit negligible differences in compressibility and permeability tests, but GA powder shows more cohesive behavior, especially in a dynamic state, because lower particle sphericity facilitates interaction between particles during the powder flow. These results provide guidelines for the manufacturing of advanced metal powders with excellent powder flowability for laser powder bed fusion.

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• Enhanced Microstructure and Wear Resistance of Ti–6Al–4V Alloy with Vanadium Carbide Coating via Directed Energy Deposition
  Ui Jun Ko, Ju Hyeong Jung, Jung Hyun Kang, Kyunsuk Choi, Jeoung Han Kim
  Materials.2024; 17(3): 733.     CrossRef

In this study, we have prepared a Ti-6Al-4V/V/17-4 PH composite structure via a direct energy deposition process, and analyzed the interfaces using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The joint interfaces comprise two zones, one being a mixed zone in which V and 17-4PH are partially mixed and another being a fusion zone in the 17-4PH region which consists of Fe+FeV. It is observed that the power of the laser used in the deposition process affects the thickness of the mixed zone. When a 210 W laser is used, the thickness of the mixed zone is wider than that obtained using a 150 W laser, and the interface resembles a serrated shape. Moreover, irrespective of the laser power used, the expected σ phase is found to be absent in the V/17-4 PH stainless steel joint; however, many VN precipitates are observed.

In the present work, Inconel 718 alloy is additively manufactured on the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and a functionally graded material is built between Inconel 718 and Ti-6Al-4V alloys. The vanadium interlayer is applied to prevent the formation of detrimental intermetallic compounds between Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718 by direct joining. The additive manufacturing of Inconel 718 alloy is performed by changing the laser power and scan speed. The microstructures of the joint interface are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and micro X-ray diffraction. Additive manufacturing is successfully performed by changing the energy input. The micro Vickers hardness of the additive manufactured Inconel 718 dramatically increased owing to the presence of the Cr-oxide phase, which is formed by the difference in energy input.

Ti-6Al-4V alloy has a wide range of applications, ranging from turbine blades that require smooth surfaces for aerodynamic purposes to biomedical implants, where a certain surface roughness promotes biomedical compatibility. Therefore, it would be advantageous if the high volumetric density is maintained while controlling the surface roughness during the LPBF of Ti-6Al-4V. In this study, the volumetric energy density is varied by independently changing the laser power and scan speed to document the changes in the relative sample density and surface roughness. The results where the energy density is similar but the process parameters are different are compared. For comparable energy density but higher laser power and scan speed, the relative density remained similar at approximately 99%. However, the surface roughness varies, and the maximum increase rate is approximately 172%. To investigate the cause of the increased surface roughness, a nonlinear finite element heat transfer analysis is performed to compare the maximum temperature, cooling rate, and lifetime of the melt pool with different process parameters.

Predicting the quality of materials after they are subjected to plasma sintering is a challenging task because of the non-linear relationships between the process variables and mechanical properties. Furthermore, the variables governing the sintering process affect the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the final product. Therefore, an artificial neural network modeling was carried out to correlate the parameters of the spark plasma sintering process with the densification and hardness values of Ti-6Al-4V alloys dispersed with nano-sized TiN particles. The relative density (%), effective density (g/cm³), and hardness (HV) were estimated as functions of sintering temperature (°C), time (min), and composition (change in % TiN). A total of 20 datasets were collected from the open literature to develop the model. The high-level accuracy in model predictions (>80%) discloses the complex relationships among the sintering process variables, product quality, and mechanical performance. Further, the effect of sintering temperature, time, and TiN percentage on the density and hardness values were quantitatively estimated with the help of the developed model.

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• Application of Machine Learning Algorithms and SHAP for Prediction and Feature Analysis of Tempered Martensite Hardness in Low-Alloy Steels
  Junhyub Jeon, Namhyuk Seo, Seung Bae Son, Seok-Jae Lee, Minsu Jung
  Metals.2021; 11(8): 1159.     CrossRef

Additively manufactured metallic components contain high surface roughness values, which lead to unsatisfactory high cycle fatigue resistance. In this study, high cycle fatigue properties of selective laser melted Ti-6Al-4V alloy are investigated and the effect of dry-electropolishing, which does not cause weight loss, on the fatigue resistance is also examined. To reduce the internal defect in the as-built Ti-6Al-4V, first, hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is conducted. Then, to improve the mechanical properties, solution treatment and aging are also implemented. Selective laser melting (SLM)-built Ti64 shows a primary α and secondary α+β lamellar structure. The sizes of secondary α and β are approximately 2 μm and 100 nm, respectively. On the other hand, surface roughness Ra values of before and after dry-electropolishing are 6.21 μm and 3.15 μm, respectively. This means that dry-electropolishing is effective in decreasing the surface roughness of selective laser melted Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The comparison of high cycle fatigue properties between before and after dry-electropolished samples shows that reduced surface roughness improves the fatigue limit from 150 MPa to 170 MPa. Correlations between surface roughness and high cycle fatigue properties are also discussed based on these findings.

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• In-situ formed oxide enables extraordinary high-cycle fatigue resistance in additively manufactured CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy
  Young-Kyun Kim, Min-Seok Baek, Sangsun Yang, Kee-Ahn Lee
  Additive Manufacturing.2021; 38: 101832.     CrossRef

The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of powder shape and densification mechanism on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V components. BE powders are uniaxially and isostatically pressed, and PA ones are injection molded because of their high strengths. The isostatically compacted samples exhibit a density of 80%, which is higher than those of other samples, because hydrostatic compression can lead to higher strain hardening. Owing to the higher green density, the density of BE-CS (97%) is found to be as high as that of other samples (BE-DS (95%) and P-S (94%)). Furthermore, we have found that BE powders can be consolidated by sintering densification and chemical homogenization, whereas PA ones can be consolidated only by simple densification. After sintering, BE-CS and P-S are hot isostatically pressed and BE-DS is hot forged to remove residual pores in the sintered samples. Apparent microstructural evolution is not observed in BE-CSH and P-SH. Moreover, BE-DSF exhibits significantly fine grains and high density of low-angle grain boundaries. Thus, these microstructures provide Ti-6Al-4V components with enhanced mechanical properties (tensile strength of 1179 MPa).

In the present work, a new hydrogen added argon heat treatment process that prevents the formation of hydrides and eliminates the dehydrogenation step, is developed. Dissolved hydrogen has a good effect on sintering properties such as oxidation resistance and density of greens. This process can also reduce costs and processing time. In the experiment, commercially available Ti-6Al-4V powders are used. The powders are annealed using tube furnace in an argon atmosphere at 700°C and 900°C for 120 min. Hydrogen was injected temporarily during argon annealing to dissolve hydrogen, and a dehydrogenation process was performed simultaneously under an argon-only atmosphere. Without hydride formation, hydrogen was dissolved in the Ti-6Al-4V powder by X-ray diffraction and gas analysis. Hydrogen is first solubilized on the beta phase and expanded the beta phases’ cell volume. TGA analysis was carried out to evaluate the oxidation resistance, and it is confirmed that hydrogen-dissolved Ti-6Al-4V powders improves oxidation resistance more than raw materials.

Additive manufacturing by electron beam melting is an affordable process for fabricating near net shaped parts of titanium and its alloys. 3D additive-manufactured parts have various kinds of voids, lack of fusion, etc., and they may affect crack initiation and propagation. Post process is necessary to eliminate or minimize these defects. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is the main method, which is expensive. The objective of this paper is to achieve an optimum and simple post heat treatment process without the HIP process. Various post heat treatments are conducted for the 3Dprinted Ti-6Al-4V specimen below and above the beta transus temperature (996°C). The as-fabricated EBM Ti-6Al-4V alloy has an α‘-martensite structure and transforms into the α+β duplex phase during the post heat treatment. The fatigue strength of the as-fabricated specimen is 400 MPa. The post heat treatment at 1000°C/30 min/AC increases the fatigue strength to 420 MPa. By post heat treatment, the interior pore size and the pore volume fraction are reduced and this can increase the fatigue limit.

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• Effect of Line Energy Conditions on Mechanical and Fatigue Properties of Ti6Al4V Fabricated by Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing
  Youngsin Choi, Hwi-Jun Kim, Gun-Hee Kim, Chang-Woo Lee, Dong-Geun Lee
  Metals.2021; 11(6): 878.     CrossRef
• Mechanical and Physical Characteristics Analysis of Radius Trauma Plate by EBM Additive Manufacturing
  Kwun-Mook Lim, Sung-Jun Park
  Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers.2020; 29(2): 147.     CrossRef
• Effect of Heat Treatments on Fatigue Properties of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Fabricated by EBM Additive Manufacturing
  Dong-Geun Lee, Youngsin Choi, P. Villechaise, B. Appolaire, P. Castany, M. Dehmas, C. Delaunay, J. Delfosse, A. Denquin, E. Gautier, L. Germain, N. Gey, T. Gloriant, J.-Y. Hascoët, S. Hémery, Y. Millet, D. Monceau, F. Pettinari-Sturmel, M. Piellard, F. Pr
  MATEC Web of Conferences.2020; 321: 03027.     CrossRef
• Correlation between surface tension and fatigue properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy fabricated by EBM additive manufacturing
  Youngsin Choi, Dong-Geun Lee
  Applied Surface Science.2019; 481: 741.     CrossRef

The objective of this study is to reveal the sintering mechanism of mixed Ti-6Al-4V powders considering the densification and the homogenization between Ti and Al/V particles. It is found that the addition of master alloy particles into Ti enhances densification by the migration of Al into the Ti matrix prior to the self-diffusion of Ti. However, as Ti particles become coarser, sintering of the powders appears to be retarded due to slower inter-diffusion of the particles due to the reduced surface energies of Ti. Such phenomena are confirmed by a series of dilatometry tests and microstructural analyses in respect to the sintering temperature. Furthermore, the results are also consistent with the predicted activation energies for sintering. The energies are found to have decreased from 299.35 to 135.48 kJ·mol^-1 by adding the Al/V particles because the activation energy for the diffusion of Al in α-Ti (77 kJ·mol^-1) is much lower than that of the self-diffusion of α-Ti. The coarser Ti powders increase the energies from 135.48 to 181.16 kJ·mol^-1 because the specific surface areas of Ti decrease.