Application of the Theory of Critical Distances to predict the effect of induced and process inherent defects for SLM Ti-6Al-4V in high cycle fatigue

Abstract Additive manufacturing techniques such as selective laser melting enable the production of customised components with high geometrical freedom. However, SLM results in a material condition with different properties to their conventionally manufactured counterparts. The presence of process-inherent defects can significantly impact the degradation of part performance. Hereby, a novel approach to assessing notched SLM Ti-6Al-4V material via a critical distance theory is presented. Geometrical notches of varying size are evaluated. Results show that the Theory of Critical Distances is appropriately applicable to fatigue prediction of SLM Ti-6Al-4V in its as-built state.