Process driven strengthening mechanisms in electron beam melted Ti-6Al-4V

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has significantly increased the design freedom available for metal parts and provides significant flexibility within each build to produce multiple components of varying size and shape. In order to obtain the highest build efficiency, it is ideal to print multiple parts together spanning the entire plate with as little spacing as possible between the parts. Work has been performed to characterize the variance of materials properties as a function of location within the build volume as well as component density on the build plate. This work utilizes mechanical, chemical, and microstructural analysis techniques to expand on previous work by statistically evaluating the impact of build location, and nearest neighbor proximity on tensile performance in Electron Beam Melted (EBM) Ti-6Al-4 V. Mechanical results are then correlated to structural phenomenon and the effectiveness of various strengthening mechanisms are determined. Results show that properties span a small range regardless of build design and that interstitial strengthening and lath spacing are the driving factors for mechanical strength.