3D electron backscatter diffraction study of α lath morphology in additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V.

Titanium alloys exhibit complex, multi-phase microstructures which form during liquid-solid and solid-solid phase transformations. These phase transformations govern the microstructural evolution and are potentially more complex during additive manufacturing due to large thermal gradients and inhomogeneities. The prototypical fundamental unit of titanium microstructures are the a laths, and investigations into their three-dimensional morphology may provide new insights. A prior beta-grain boundary, 3-variant clusters and interconnected laths were studied in 3D in electron-beam printed Ti-6Al-4V using a plasma FIB. These key features are of interest for studying variant selection in additive manufacturing.