Research on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–6Al–4V ELI fabricated by hybrid directed energy deposition with in-situ rolling and annealing

To achieve superior damage tolerance and fatigue properties, it is desirable for the microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Extra Low Interstitial) titanium alloy to consist of equiaxed grains with a homogeneous lamellar structure. However, traditional forging and single additive manufacturing techniques require extreme processes such as quasi β heat treatment and hot isostatic pressing. In this paper, a hybrid directed energy deposition method that integrates in-situ rolling with simple annealing is proposed to simultaneously achieve these microstructures. The results indicate that the initial microstructures produced by hybrid directed energy deposition consist of fine equiaxed prior-β grains, inconspicuous interpass bright bands, randomly oriented lamellar structure and numerous small substructures at the TEM scale. Due to the plastic deformation caused by in-situ rolling, the primary β grains underwent significant refinement with a reduction in grain diameter from over 2000 μm to 113.8 μm. Besides, the unique microstructures and thickness of α laths are influenced by coarsening and dissolution mechanisms that are controlled by diffusion during phase transformation. Furthermore, a uniform microstructure without bright bands and excellent comprehensive properties can be achieved through heating at 880 °C for 2 h and natural cooling. These findings validate that hybrid directed energy deposition coupled with simple annealing present a novel and cost-effective approach for the direct manufacturing of uniform titanium alloy forgings.