Slurry Erosion-Corrosion Characteristics of As-Built Ti-6Al-4V Manufactured by Selective Laser Melting

Erosion and erosion-corrosion tests of as-built Ti-6Al-4V manufactured by Selective Laser Melting were investigated using slurries composed of SiO₂ sand particles and either tap water (pure water) or 3.5% NaCl solution (artificial seawater). The microhardness value of selective laser melting (SLM)ed Ti-6Al-4V alloy increased as the impact angle increased. The synergistic effect of corrosion and erosion in seawater is always higher than erosion in pure water at all impact angles. The seawater environment caused the dissolution of vanadium oxide V₂O₅ on the surface of SLMed Ti-6Al-4V alloy due to the presence of Cl^- ions in the seawater. These findings show lower microhardness values and high mass losses under the erosion-corrosion test compared to those under the erosion test at all impact angles.