Nanoindentation and Corrosion Behavior of Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V Alloy for Biomaterial Applications

• Published in: Journal of materials engineering and performance Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 2133 - 2145
• Main Authors: Demirci, Selim, Dikici, Tuncay, Dalmis, Ramazan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Corrosion and Coatings; Engineering Design; Materials Science; Quality Control; Reliability; Safety and Risk; Technical Article; Tribology; corrosion behavior; additive manufacturing; nanoindentation; biomaterial; Ti-6Al-4V
• ISSN: 1059-9495; 1544-1024
• DOI: 10.1007/s11665-023-08139-2

In this study, the effect of different laser beam power on the nanoindentation and corrosion properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloys fabricated direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) method was investigated. Ti-6Al-4V samples were fabricated by DMLS method with three 34.72 J/mm 3 , 64.81 J/mm 3 and 83.33 J/mm 3 energy densities named as sample 1, sample 2 and sample 3, respectively. The microstructure and crystalline phase of Ti-6Al-4V samples were analyzed by optical microscope, SEM and XRD devices. Microstructural examinations showed that microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V samples consisted of the prior columnar β grains and α/α´ phases. The β phase proportion soared with rising laser beam power. Nanoindentation results illustrated that the order of reduced elastic modulus ( E r ) values was sample 1 > sample 2 > sample 3. The order of hardness (H) values followed sample 1 > sample 2 > sample 3. The H / E r ratios were found to be 0.0338, 0.0333, and 0.032 for samples 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The H 3 / E r 2 ratios were estimated to be 0.00734 GPa, 0.00633 GPa, and 0.00513 GPa for samples 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The presence of high values means better anti-wear capacity and good resistance to deformation for samples based on nanoindentaion findings. Moreover, electrochemical measurements depicted that the value of corrosion current density ( i cor ) of the samples ordered as sample 3 > sample 2 > sample 1. The sample 1 exhibited better corrosion resistance than other samples. The findings showed that as the laser power is low, DMLS Ti-6Al-4V samples potentially have better mechanical and corrosion performance due to low β content and high α´ phases in the microstructure.