Scanning Speed Effect on Mechanical Properties of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Processed by Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing

In this study, mechanical properties in Ti-6Al-4 V samples built with the powder-bed electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM) process over a range of beam scanning speeds were experimentally investigated. Four levels of speed functions were applied to build samples, which were used to prepare the specimens for the nanoindentation test to obtain their mechanical properties. The measured averaged Young's modulus and hardness are about 111.7∼119.0 GPa and 5.24∼6.52 GPa, respectively. It has been found that the Young's modulus and hardness increase with the increase of scanning speed in EBAM. The scanning surface presents more superior mechanical properties than those from side surface. The mechanical properties are also correlated to the microstructure characterization of EBAM components.