A Novel Approach to Enhancing Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V Alloy via In-situ Alloying with Boron
Authors: John Smith, Emily Johnson, Michael Brown, Sarah Davis
This study investigates the effect of in-situ boron alloying on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V components fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Boron additions of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt.% were introduced via a master alloy powder. Microstructural characterization using SEM and EBSD revealed significant grain refinement with increasing boron content, attributed to the formation of TiB precipitates that act as heterogeneous nucleation sites. Tensile testing showed that the addition of 1.0 wt.% boron resulted in a 25% increase in yield strength and a 15% improvement in ductility compared to the unalloyed Ti-6Al-4V, while maintaining comparable elongation. The enhanced mechanical properties are correlated with the refined prior-Ξ² grain structure and the presence of acicular Ξ±' martensite. This work demonstrates a promising pathway for tailoring the mechanical performance of additively manufactured titanium alloys through in-situ alloying, offering potential for aerospace and biomedical applications.
