Mean strain influence in low cycle fatigue behavior of Ti6Al4V additively manufactured using cold metal fusion

This study investigates the influence of mean strain on the total number of cycles until failure of Ti6Al4V specimens manufactured using the cold metal fusion additive manufacturing method. In this innovative production technology, metal particles are coated with a polymer binder and joined together layer by layer using a powder bed printer designed for plastics by melting the polymer locally with a low-energy laser. The resulting green part is depowdered, de-bindered and sintered to achieve its full density. The fatigue performance is influenced by the surface roughness, inherent defects and the microstructure. This study investigates the influence of mean strain on the fatigue strength and which existing mean strain corrections can be used to predict the fatigue life of parts manufactured using this novel manufacturing technology.