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The effects of build orientation on the fatigue behavior of additively-manufactured Ti-6Al- 4V using a Laser-Based Power Bed Fusion (L-PBF) process is investigated. Ti-6Al-4V rods were manufactured in vertical, horizontal, and 45º angle orientations. The specimens were then machined and polished along the gage section in order to reduce the effects of surface roughness on fatigue behavior. Fully-reversed strain-controlled uniaxial fatigue tests were performed at various strain amplitudes with frequencies adjusted to maintain an average constant strain rate throughout testing. Results indicate slight variation in fatigue behavior of specimens fabricated in the different orientations investigated. Fractography was conducted using scanning electron microscopy after mechanical testing in order to investigate the crack initiation sites and determine the defect responsible for the failure. The experimental program utilized and results obtained will be presented and discussed. 

As additive manufacturing becomes an increasingly popular method for advanced manufacturing of components, there are many questions that need to be answered before these parts can be implemented for structural purposes. One of the most common concerns with additively manufactured parts is the reliability when subjected to cyclic loadings which has been shown to be highly sensitive to defects such as pores and lack of fusion between layers. It stands to reason that larger parts will inherently have more defects than smaller parts which may result in some sensitivity to surface area differences between these parts. In this research, Ti-6Al-4V specimens with various sizes were produced via a laser-based powder bed fusion method. Uniaxial fatigue tests based on ASTM standards were conducted to generate fatigue-life curves for comparison. Fractography on the fractured specimens was performed to distinguish failure mechanisms between specimen sets with different sizes. 

Parts fabricated via directed energy additive manufacturing (AM) can experience very high, localized temperature gradients during manufacture. These temperature gradients are conducive to the formation of a complex residual stress field within such parts. In the study, a thermo-mechanical model is employed for predicting the temperature distribution and residual stress in Ti-6Al-4V parts fabricated using laserpowder bed fusion (L-PBF). The result is utilized for determining a relationship between local part temperature gradients with generated residual stress. Using this numerical model, the effects of scan patterns are investigated. 

Parts fabricated via additive manufacturing (AM) methods are prone to experiencing high temperature gradients during manufacture resulting in internal residual stress formation. In the current study, a numerical model for predicting the temperature distribution and residual stress in Directed Energy Deposited (DED) Ti–6Al–4V parts is utilized for determining a relationship between local part temperature gradients with generated residual stress. Effects of time interval between successive layer deposits, as well as layer deposition itself, on the temperature gradient vector for the first and each layer is investigated. The numerical model is validated using thermographic measurements of Ti-6Al-4V specimens fabricated via Laser Engineered Net Shaping® (LENS), a blown-powder/laser-based DED method. Results demonstrate the heterogeneity in the part’s spatiotemporal temperature field, and support the fact that as the part number, or single part size or geometry, vary, the resultant residual stress due to temperature gradients will be impacted. As the time inter-layer time interval increases from 0 to 10 second, the temperature gradient magnitude in vicinity of the melt pool will increase slightly.