High-performance and cost-affordable Ti-6.5Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V fabricated by additive manufacturing via changing feedstock powder

Ti-6.5Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V (TA15) alloy, produced through laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), is attracting growing interest due to its enhanced mechanical performances and reduced manufacturing duration. However, the high expense of spherical TA15 powder, often suggested for use, poses a barrier to its extensive adoption. In this study, TA15 is fabricated successfully by LPBF employing a more economical modified hydride-dehydrated (HDH) powder for the first time. Process parameter was optimized based on orthogonal experiments, and then microstructure and mechanical properties at room temperature and 500 ℃ were investigated systematically. The results indicate that fully dense samples can only be achieved by meeting the conditions of forming high-quality single tracks and maintaining an appropriate VED range. Among the fully dense S10, S12, S15, and S16 samples (relatively densities are 99.72 %, 99.77 %, 99.62 %, and 99.67 %, respectively), the S12 sample exhibits the highest tensile strength of 1353.7 MPa and elongation of 11.2 % at room temperature, which exceeds the GB/T 2965–2007 TA15 bars and samples fabricated using spherical powder. Furthermore, the mechanical property of the S12 sample at 500 ℃ is also higher than that of forged TA15 samples and parts fabricated using spherical powder. Cost-effectiveness analysis points out that the cost of the modified TA15 powder is reduced by about 58 %, which makes the fabricated parts have significant economic advantages. Reduced cost of raw materials coupled with an exceptional combination of strength and ductility at both ambient and elevated temperatures makes LPBF-ed modified HDH parts exhibit broad applications. Data Availability: The data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.