Fatigue Properties Of Ti-6Al-4V Manufactured Using Electron Beam Melting

The interest in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing methods, such as electron beam melting (EBM), is increasing constantly and main business areas driving the development are aerospace and implant manufacturers. EBM manufactured parts have a rather coarse surface roughness mainly originating from the layer thickness and the powder grains melted by the electron beam. Thus, there is an interest in understanding how the surface properties influences the fatigue performance of the material. In this study, EBM manufactured Ti-6Al-4V was investigated at high cycle fatigue using rotating beam and different types of specimens regarding geometry, as-built and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) post-processing were evaluated. The results confirm that as-built surfaces affect the fatigue limit and a small size specimen geometry for rotating beam fatigue testing is proposed as a part of material and process verification.