The Effects of Specimen Dimensions on the Mechanical Behavior of EBM Produced Ti6Al4V Alloys

There are several published studies investigating the microstructures and mechanical properties obtained during additive manufacturing of Ti6Al4V alloys utilizing the Electron Beam Melting (EBM) technique. These studies have concentrated on conventional testing coupon sizes and configurations which allowed for a direct comparison to the properties of conventionally produced Ti6Al4V alloys. One of the many benefits of the EBM process is that it allows the manufacturer to produce components in sizes and configurations unachievable by conventional methods. It becomes important to understand and verify the microstructures and mechanical performance of these smaller components in a manufacturing environment, requiring the use of non‐conventional testing configurations. This paper presents case-studies involving the production and testing of non-standard samples and how these samples compare to conventional E8 testing coupons. Differences in mechanical performance were observed and are most likely due to the unique characteristics of EBM produced materials.