Element vaporization of Ti-6AL-4V alloy during selective laser melting

The present study aims to reveal the mechanism of element vaporization of Ti-6Al-4V alloy during selective laser melting (SLM). The equations of Redlich–Kister and the thermodynamics principles were employed to calculate the vaporization thermodynamics, which contributes to the obtaining the vaporization kinetic based on the Chapman-Enskog theory and the diffusion model. According to the achieved vaporization model, the elements with the most prominent tendency and flux to vaporize were distinguished. Moreover, the effect of the process parameters on the vaporization of Al and Ti is experimentally investigated using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP) technology. The analyzed results of the chemical composition of the powders and builds show a great agreement with the kinetic results calculated by the vaporization model. Notably, the element vaporization can be curbed by regulating the laser energy input.