Structural investigation of selective laser melting and electron beam melting of Ti-6Al-4V using neutron diffraction

Neutron diffraction study of poly-crystalline bulk samples of Ti-6Al-4V, prepared using selective laser melting (SLM) and electron beam melting (EBM), and of their ingredient powders, is reported. Both the SLM and EBM samples do not contain the macro- and micro-strain, found in the ingredient powder particles. In addition, the micro-structure of the EBM sample is found free of preferential orientation, whereas in the SLM sample significant preference towards the hexagonal basal plane is found.