Gas flow rate and powder flow rate effect on properties of laser metal deposited Ti6Al4V

Abstract

Tracks of Ti6Al4V powder were deposited on Ti6Al4V substrate using Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) process, an Additive Manufacturing (AM) manufacturing technology, at a laser power and scanning speed maintained at 1.8 kW and 0.005 m/s respectively. The powder flow rate and the gas flow rate were varied to study their effect on the physical, metallurgical and mechanical properties of the deposits. The physical properties studied are: the track width, the track height and the deposit weight. The mechanical property studied is the Microhardness profiling using Microhardness indenter at a load of 500g and dwelling time of 15 µm. The metallurgical property studied is the microstructure using the Optical microscopy. This study revealed that as the powder flow rate was increased, the track width, track height and the deposit weight were increased while as the powder flow rate was increased, the track width, track height and the deposit weight decreased. The results are presented and discussed in detail.