Effect of oxygen concentration in build chamber during laser metal deposition of Ti-64 wire

Sammanfattning: Additive manufacturing of titanium and other metals is a rapidly growing field that could potentially improve component manufacturing through optimization of geometries, less material waste and fewer process steps. Although powder-based additive manufacturing processes have so far been predominant, methods using a wire as feedstock has gained popularity due to faster deposition rates and lower porosity in deposited material. The titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V accounts for the majority of aerospace titanium alloy consumption and as titanium is a precious and expensive resource, reducing material waste is an important factor.  Laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w) is currently used in production at GKN Aerospace in Trolhättan. One important process parameter is the oxygen level in the chamber during deposition as titanium is highly reactive with oxygen at process temperatures. Oxygen enrichment of titanium can cause embrittlement and reduced fatigue life due to formation of alpha-case, an oxygen enriched region directly beneath the surface. The oxygen level in the chamber is controlled through extensive use of protective inert gas which is a costly and time-consuming practice. The objective of this thesis was to study how elevated oxygen levels in the chamber would affect surface oxidation, chemical composition, tensile properties and microstructure.  Two different sample geometries were built with Ti-6Al-4V wire at an oxygen level of 100, 500 and 850 ppm. The subsequent analysis was based around microstructural features, alpha-case formation, chemical composition in surface layers, and tensile tests. Results showed that elevated oxygen levels in the build chamber did not degrade the chemical composition or tensile properties with regard to aerospace specifications. However, significant layers of alpha-case were found in all samples indicating that subsequent processing such as machining or etching is needed.