Corrosion behavior and wear properties of mechanically polished and electropolished powder bed fusion-built Ti-6Al-4V alloy in simulated seawater

The structural integrity of additively manufactured parts is vital in adopting the technology in the manufacturing sector. Corrosion is a significant concern in every manufacturing sector. Therefore, this work presents the corrosion behavior and wear properties of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V alloy in the simulated seawater. The used specimens were electropolished in the mixed-metal-salt electrolyte and mechanically polished. The solution with a salinity of 35 ppt was prepared and used as a corrosion media. Electrochemical tests showed electropolished specimens had higher corrosion resistance than mechanically polished samples. The corrosion rate of the electropolished specimen was 0.6 × 10 − 2 mmpy, while the mechanically polished specimen had 1.04 × 10 − 2 mmpy. Moreover, the impedance measurement revealed electropolished specimens to have higher charge transfer resistance and non-conductive oxide on the surface than mechanically polished ones. The dry sliding wear test revealed electropolished specimens to have a relatively low friction coefficient of 0.12 compared to 0.25 of the mechanically polished specimens. The Vickers hardness of the specimens was comparable to 347 ± 3 HV and 345 ± 2 HV, respectively.