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Production of Single Tracks of Ti-6Al-4V by Directed Energy Deposition to Determine the Layer Thickness for Multilayer Deposition
Published on: March 13, 2018
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Short Circuiting Transfer, Formation, and Microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy by External Longitudinal Magnetic Field
Chao Shi1,2, Hongwei Sun2, Jiping Lu1
1School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 11, 2022
Summary
This study used magnetic field hybrid metal inert gas welding (M-MIG) to create Ti-6Al-4V alloy parts. M-MIG welding enhanced deposition layer width and microhardness compared to traditional MIG welding.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Metallurgy
Background:
- Additive manufacturing of titanium alloys like Ti-6Al-4V is crucial for aerospace and biomedical applications.
- Traditional Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding can have limitations in controlling deposition and microstructure.
- Hybrid Metal Inert Gas (M-MIG) welding offers potential improvements through external magnetic field application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of an external longitudinal magnetic field on the Metal Inert Gas (M-MIG) additive manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V alloy.
- To analyze the effects of process parameters on droplet transfer, arc behavior, and final part microstructure.
- To compare the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of M-MIG parts with those produced by conventional MIG welding.
Main Methods:
- Utilized M-MIG additive manufacturing with an external longitudinal magnetic field for Ti-6Al-4V alloy production.
- Employed high-speed camera, optical microscopy, and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) for analysis.
- Varied wire feeding speeds and magnetic excitation currents to study their effects.
Main Results:
- Achieved typical short-circuiting droplet transfer within a wire feeding speed range of 2-4 m/min.
- Observed significant alterations in arc shape due to the external magnetic field, leading to uniform deposition.
- M-MIG deposition layers exhibited increased width and microhardness compared to MIG, with width correlating to magnetic current.
- Microstructure analysis revealed acicular martensite α' and massive martensite αm, with smaller β grain size in M-MIG compared to MIG.
Conclusions:
- External longitudinal magnetic fields effectively control arc behavior and enhance deposition uniformity in M-MIG welding of Ti-6Al-4V.
- M-MIG additive manufacturing results in superior microstructural refinement (smaller β grains) and increased microhardness over conventional MIG.
- The findings suggest M-MIG is a promising method for producing high-performance Ti-6Al-4V alloy parts with improved properties.
