Time-Dependent Ginzburg–Landau equation modelling of electron beam additive manufactured Titanium alloy

In this study, the micro-structure evolution in Electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM) process of Ti–6Al–4V is studied using phase-field modelling. EBAM involves a rapid solidification process and the properties of a build partly depend on the solidification behaviour as well as the micro-structure of the build material. Phasefield modelling was applied to study the evolution of micro-structural scale of dendrites during the Ti-6Al-4V alloy solidification in the EBAM process. The mechanical properties of the final build parts are dependent on the solidification rate which affects the micro-structure of the material. Thus, the evolving of micro-structure plays a critical and effective role towards process parameters optimization. Recent increase in computational power allows for direct simulations of micro-structures during materials processing for specific manufacturing conditions. A MATLAB code was developed to solve the set of Time-Dependent Ginzburg–Landau equation phase field equations. The effect of under-cooling was investigated through the simulations; the greater the under-cooling, the faster the dendrite grows. The micro-structure simulations shows the growth of primary β phase, which has a body-centred cubic crystal structure phase with four fold symmetry comparable with experimental results for the tested range.