Hot Salt Stress Corrosion Cracking Study of Selective Laser Melted Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

Abstract

The hot salt stress corrosion cracking (HSSCC) behavior of the selectively laser melted (SLM) Ti-6Al-4V alloy in the as-built and heat-treated conditions was studied at 300 and 400 °C. The HSSCC resistance of very susceptible as-built alloy can be significantly increased through annealing at 750 °C, losing only a small amount of ultimate tensile strength (UTS). The improvement in the HSSCC resistance is brought out by a transformation of martensite into lamellar α + β. The absence of equiaxed α found in the wrought alloy seems to help in increasing the HSSCC resistance of SLM Ti-6Al-4V alloy at high strength level.