Microstructural Manipulation and Mechanical Properties of Ti-24Nb-4Zr-8Sn alloy Manufactured by Selective Laser Melting

摘要

Selective laser melting (SLM) has been used to manufacture components from a new lowmodulus,biomedical-grade beta titanium alloy. The asprocessed Ti-24Nb-4Zr-8Sn (Ti2448) alloy has nearfull density, a low modulus, and tensile properties comparable to material produced using conventional manufacturing technologies. In this paper we present our results of the microstructural manipulation that can be achieved via heat treatment with the aim of optimizing the mechanical properties of the SLMproduced Ti2448 alloy. Both the volume fraction of a precipitates and the Vickers hardness increase with aging time,irrespective of the aging temperature. The change in hardness is strongly correlated to the precipitation of a phase during aging.