Effect of laser power on the microstructural behaviour and strength of modified laser deposited Ti6Al4V+Cu alloy for medical application

Abstract

The excellent biocompatibility property of Grade 5 titanium alloy has made its desirability largely increasing in the field of biomedical. The titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) was modified with the addition of 3 weight percent (wt %) copper via a laser deposition process using the Ytterbium fiber laser with a wavelength of 1.047 μm. Therefore, this paper presents the effect of laser power on the microstructural behaviour and strength of the modified Ti6Al4V+Cu alloy. The laser powers were varied between 600 W and 1600 W respectively while all other parameters such as the scanning speed, powder flow rates and gas flow rates were kept constant. The melt pool and width of the deposited alloy increases as the laser power was increased. The α-lamella was observed to be finer at low laser power, and towards the fusion zone, Widmanstettan structures were fused and become smaller; and showing an evidence of α-martensite phases. The strength of the modified alloy was derived from the hardness values. The strength was observed to increase initially to a point as the laser power increases and afterwards decreased as the laser power was further increased. The improved Ti6Al4V+Cu alloy can be anticipated for biomedical application.