Effects of laser shock peening on microstructure and fatigue behavior of Ti–6Al–4V alloy fabricated via electron beam melting.

Laser shock peening (LSP) is a post-treatment process that is widely used to modify the surface microstructure and mechanical properties of parts constructed by additive manufacturing (AM). In this study, the influence of LSP on the microstructure and fatigue behavior of Ti–6Al–4V alloy manufactured via electron beam melting (EBM), a popular method of AM, was investigated. The microstructure of the EBM sample consisted of the β phase (~6 vol%) and α lamellar phase. Grain refinement of the α phase occurred via both dislocation evolution and deformation twinning during LSP. A theoretical description of the microstructural evolution, particularly the distribution of deformation twins, was developed. The fatigue strength and micro-hardness of the EBM samples increased by approximately 17% and 11% after LSP treatment, respectively. The fatigue fracture morphologies at three defined damage stages (crack initiation, crack propagation, and instantaneous rupture) were examined for EBM samples before and after LSP. The dominant mechanism of fatigue strength enhancement by LSP was discussed. The effects of residual compressive stress assistant with adiabatic temperature increase and grain refinement of the α phase produced by LSP reduced the pre-existing crack size, suppressed crack initiation, and increased the required work for fatigue fracture. • The effects of LSP on the fatigue behavior of EBM Ti–6Al–4V alloy was investigated. • Microstructure evolution of EBM Ti–6Al–4V alloy by LSP treatment was discussed. • The grain refinement mechanism of EBM Ti–6Al–4V alloy by LSP was illustrated. • The dominant mechanism of fatigue strength enhancement via LSP was revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]