Fatigue of additive manufacturing specimens: a comparison with casting processes

In this paper, the specificity and/or the common features of materials coming from such new additive manufacturing processes will be compared to more classical one, like casting process. Fatigue properties of Ti-6Al-4V specimens built by EBM and SLM are first compared depending on several process parameters. Then, at the microstructure scale, it is shown that surface defects and unmelted zones seem to be the dominant features. It will be shown that similarities can then be drawn with casting processes where shrinkage and pores are also associated to damage mechanisms.