Fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4V cellular structures fabricated by additive manufacturing technique

Porous titanium and its alloys have been considered as promising replacement for dense implants, as they possess low elastic modulus comparable to that of compact human bones and are capable of providing space for in-growth of bony tissues to achieve a better fixation. Recently, the additive manufacturing (AM) method has been successfully applied to the fabrication of Ti-6Al-4V cellular meshes and foams. Comparing to traditional fabrication methods, the AM method offers advantages of accurate control of complex cell shapes and internal pore architectures, thus attracting extensive attention. Considering the long-term safety in the human body, the metallic cellular structures should possess high fatigue strength. In this paper, the recent progress on the fatigue properties of Ti-6Al-4V cellular structures fabricated by the AM technique is reviewed. The various design factors including cell shapes, surface properties, post treatments and graded porosity distribution affecting the fatigue properties of additive manufactured Ti-6Al-4V cellular structures were introduced and future development trends were also discussed.