Strain-Controlled High-Temperature (400°C) Low-Cycle Fatigue of Additive Manufactured Ti6Al4V Alloy

The tensile and low-cycle fatigue (LCF) properties of Ti6Al4V specimens, manufactured using the selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing (AM) process and subsequently heat-treated in argon, were investigated at elevated temperatures. Specifically, fully reversed strain-controlled tests were performed at 400°C to determine the strain-life response of the material over a range of strain amplitudes of industrial interest. Fatigue test results from this work are compared to those found in the literature for both AM and wrought Ti6Al4V. The LCF response of the material tested here is in-family with the AM data found in the literature. Scanning electron microscopy performed on the fracture surfaces indicate a marked increase in secondary cracking (crack branching) as a function of increased plastic deformation and demonstrating equivalent performance when compared to the wrought Ti6AL4V at RT (room temperature) at 1.4% strain amplitude and better performance when compared to the HIP-AM Ti6Al4V at RT.