Hetero-lamellar structure design for enhanced strength and ductility of Ti enabled via additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing of metallic components not only allows flexible component design but also microstructural tailoring. Herein, we present a methodology for preparation of a pure Ti plate with a sandwich-like hetero-lamellar structure by combining three-dimensional (3D) printing and conventional manufacturing. The resulting layered/gradient microstructure leads to different deformation mechanisms across the plate thickness, resulting in an enhanced strain-hardening capacity compared with mono-structured Ti. The hetero-lamellar plate shows a superior combination of strength and ductility, with an exceptional uniform elongation of 27%.