Effects of heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Nd:YAG laser beam welded Ti6Al4V alloy

In the present study, Ti6Al4V titanium alloy plates were joined using Nd:YAG laser beam welding method. Pre- and post-weld heat treatments were applied to laser welded joints. After welding stress relieving, solution heat treatment and ageing were also applied to preheated laser welded samples. Effects of heat treatment conditions on microstructure and mechanical properties of laser beam welded joints were studied. The results showed that the aged samples were found to be made of coarsened grains compared to microstructures of non-aged samples. There were increases in ductility and toughness of samples applied to ageing increased, while hardness and tensile strength of non-aged samples were higher