Influence of laser post-processing on pore evolution of Ti–6Al–4V alloy by laser powder bed fusion

Abstract In laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processes, critical defect issues such as porosity limit the quality of the fabricated part. This work investigates the mechanism of pore evolution during the laser post-processing of an LPBF part. A laser beam was utilized to scan the top surface of a Ti–6Al–4V alloy part. The morphologies of the internal layers as well as the distribution of the porosity inside the Ti–6Al–4V sample were experimentally measured and compared using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). It was found that the void fraction was significantly decreased, from 2.51% to 0.77%, by laser post-processing. A multi-physics coupled finite element model based on the Level-set method was built to analyze the evolution mechanism of the pore. This model simulated the effects of the energy density, Marangoni flow and mass transfer on the pore evolution. Typical processes were studied in detail, and a table summarizing the pore evolution under different post-processing parameters is given.