Solidification microstructure simulation of Ti-6Al-4V in metal additive manufacturing: A review

Metal additive manufacturing (MAM) technology is now changing the pattern of the high-end manufacturing industry, among which microstructure simulation gradually shows its importance and attracts many research interests. As the simulation targets, this paper summarizes the unique microstructure characteristics in MAM fabricated parts, Ti-6Al-4 V as an example. Further discussions are focused on the development of solidification microstructure simulation methods as well as their capacity and applicability on MAM. Finally, the difficulties and suggested future research topics in MAM microstructure simulation are addressed.