Selective laser melting enabled additive manufacturing of Ti–22Al–25Nb intermetallic: Excellent combination of strength and ductility, and unique microstructural features associated

Abstract To realize near net-shaping of hard-to-process intermetallics is an often challenging but critical issue to their wider industrial applications. In this work, we report that an intermetallic Ti–22Al–25Nb has been successfully fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM). The as-printed samples show a high room-temperature ultimate tensile strength ∼1090 MPa and excellent ductility ∼22.7%; both values are higher than most conventionally fabricated Ti–22Al–25Nb intermetallic. We clarify the mechanical performance achieved by detailed microstructure analysis, including dislocation and phase constitution. It is proposed that high-density dislocation networks significantly contribute to the strength and ductility, which are further enhanced by the favorable phase constitution, including the nano-scale O phase precipitates within the disordered β phase and disappearance of the brittle α2 phase in the microstructure. Phase evolution during solidification, particularly regarding the O phase's formation, has also been clarified using in-situ laser heating, high-temperature synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Scheil simulation. It is demonstrated that the O phase formation involves both displacive transition (B2 → B19) and chemical ordering (B19 → O). The metastable B19 phase (as an intermediate stage) may be formed by shearing cubic B2 phase along (110) [ 1 − 11 ] direction into an orthorhombic structure under high residual stress. Furthermore, a demonstrative part of turbine blade has been fabricated to highlight the importance of SLM in fabricating critical structural part like the hard-to-process intermetallics.