Effect of normalizing temperature on microstructure and properties of Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by arc additive manufacturing

The samples of TC4 titanium alloy were prepared by TIG arc additive manufacturing, and the samples were normalized. The results show that the microstructure of the sample is composed of α phase and β phase after normalizing treatment. And the acicular primary α phase becomes shorter and thicker with the increase of normalizing temperature at the range of 750 ~ 950 °C, and gradually changes to the direction of net basket structure. At the range of 950 ~ 1 050 °C, some primary α phases develop toward "pseudo-equiaxed crystals", and form structures which comprises the "pseudo-equiaxed crystals" primary α phase + the fine needle-like primary α phase + (α + β) structures between the fine needle-like primary α phases at 1 050 °C. The better mechanical properties of the present work (in conditions of 850 °C/2 h/AC) show that tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and reduction of the area in y direction are 900.4, 820.4 MPa, 9.3%, and 27.4% respectively, and tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and reduction of the area in z direction are 890.1, 790.1 MPa, 10.8%, and 31.0% respectively, which is close to the standard requirements for forgings. The hardness of sedimentary state and normalizing state has little changes. The fracture morphology of tensile specimen (z tensile specimen and y tensile specimen) is full of dimples and belongs to plastic fracture.