On electrical conducitivity and mechanical properties of Ti6Al4V alloy produced by LPBF and EBM: role of microstructure

Correlations between microstructure, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity (EC) in additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4 V produced by LPBF and EBM are key factors in engineering design. The different thermal histories inherent to these processes lead to distinct phase compositions and morphologies, ranging from tempered α’-martensitic structures in LPBF to α + β microstructures in both EBM and LPBF samples solution-treated at 1050 °C. These variations directly influence properties: yield strength (YS) decreases from (997 ± 13) MPa to (809 ± 11) MPa, and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) from (1059 ± 15) MPa to (924 ± 9) MPa, while EC increases by 12% from the lowest value of 0.5428 MS/m. A clear linear relationship between hardness and yield strength was also observed, including when both properties were normalized by EC.