Superplastic deformation and postformed mechanical properties of high temperature titanium alloy IMI 834

Abstract

Superplastic forming is particularly attractive for high temperature Ti alloys because of the much lower forming stresses compared with those encountered during forging. The superplastic deformation parameters of IMI 834 sheet were obtained at 900, 940, and 990°C. At 990°C, IMI 834 shows low flow stresses, high values of strain rate sensitivity, and minimum strain anisotropy, however, 300% superplastic elongation was readily obtained at the lower forming temperature of 940°C but with a higher flow stress. A reduction in the room temperature and 600°C tensile properties with superplastic strain resulted from strain enhanced grain growth during superplastic deformation; this effect was greatest at 990°C. Aging of post 990°C superplastically formed material was studied. The creep performance of IMI 834 was found to be slightly reduced by superplastic forming. These properties and the changes in the microstructure and texture are compared with other Ti alloys under superplastic conditions.

MST/1822     

Superplasticity and superplastic forming processes

Abstract

Superplasticity, first observed some seventy years ago, remained a scientific curiosity until about twenty years ago. It is now recognized as a property which can be utilized in forming processes. There are two types of superplastic behaviour, known as fine–grained (or fine–structure) and internal–stress superplasticity. Fine–grained superplastic materials have a strain–rate sensitivity exponent of 0·5, and deform principally by a grain–boundary sliding mechanism. In this paper the microstructural features important in the development of fine structure super plasticity are discussed, and phenomenological equations for describing superplastic flow are presented. The superplastic properties of fine–grained materials can be optimized by promoting grain–boundary sliding and inhibiting slip. A number of fine–grained superplastic materials have been developed for commercial use, and their number is increasing. Internal–stress superplastic materials can have a strain–rate sensitivity exponent as high as unity, i.e. they can exhibit Newtonian viscous behaviour. Internal stresses can be generated by thermal cycling in materials that consist of two phases, or are anisotropic in their thermal–expansion coefficients, or are polymorphic. No commercial applications have yet been found for the superplastic forming of materials by generating internal stress.

MST/169     

定向凝固NiAl合金的拉伸行为研究

研究了定向凝固NiAl-Mo(Hf)和NiAl-Fe(Nb)合金的拉伸行为和显微组织变化.结果表明,两种合金在一定的拉伸条件下均具有反常的屈服行为和中温脆性.反常屈服和中温脆性行为与合金中含有的Ni3Al相有关.两种合金在高温时还表现出高应变速率的超塑性变形行为.超塑性变形的主要机理是位错滑移和攀移产生的应变硬化与动态回复和动态再结晶的应变软化作用相平衡.超塑性变形试样的断口呈韧性特征,在断裂区有孔洞产生.     

Achieving a Superplastic Forming Capability through Severe Plastic Deformation

Processing by severe plastic deformation (SPD) leads to very significant grain refinement in metallic alloys. Furthermore, if these ultrafine grains are reasonably stable at elevated temperatures, there is a potential for achieving high tensile ductilities, and superplastic elongations, in alloys that are generally not superplastic. In addition, the production of ultrafine grains leads to the occurrence of superplastic flow at strain rates that are significantly faster than in conventional alloys so that processing by SPD introduces the possibility of using these alloys for the rapid fabrication of complex parts through superplastic forming operations. This paper examines the development of superplasticity in various aluminum alloys processed by equal‐channel angular pressing (ECAP).     

Rate sensitivity in the high temperature deformation of dispersion strengthened Al-Fe-V-Si alloys

The rate sensitive flow characteristics in the elevated temperature deformation of Al-Fe-V-Si alloys processed by rapid solidification/powder metallurgy route were assessed by the strain rate change tests in compression. With an ultrafine grain size, stabilized by fine dispersoids, a peak rate sensitivity index of 0.15 and normal ductility were observed in alloys containing dispersoids up to a volume fraction of 0.37. The lack of superplastic response is interpreted in terms of a high threshold stress for superplastic flow. The threshold stress assessed by an extrapolation procedure is observed to be grain size and temperature dependent. Its origin is suggested to be Zener drag limited boundary migration, which is an essential part of the superplastic flow mechanism.     

Low-temperature superplasticity of β-stabilized Ti-43Al-9V-Y alloy sheet with bimodal γ-grain-size distribution

The superplasticity of Ti-43Al-9V-0.2Y alloy sheet hot-rolled at 1100 ℃ was systematically investigated in the temperature range of 750-900 ℃ under an initial strain rate of 10-4 s-1.A bimodal γ grain-distribution microstructure of TiA1 alloy sheet,with abundant nano-scale or sub-micron γ laths embed-ded inside β matrix,exhibits an impressive superplastic behaviour.This inhomogeneous microstructure shows low-temperature superplasticity with a strain-rate sensitivity exponent of m =0.27 at 800 ℃,which is the lowest temperature of superplastic deformation for TiAl alloys attained so far.The maximum elongation reaches ～360％ at 900 ℃ with an initial strain rate of 2.0 × 10-4 s-1.To elucidate the softening mechanism of the disordered β phase during superplastic deformation,the changes of phase composi-tion were investigated up to 1000 ℃ using in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) in this study.The results indicate that β phase does not undergo the transformation from an ordered L20 structure to a disordered A2 structure and cannot coordinate superplastic deformation as a lubricant.Based on the microstructural evolution and occurrence of both y and β dynamic recrystallization (DR) after tensile tests as characterized with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD),the superplastic deformation mecha-nism can be explained by the combination of DR and grain boundary slipping (GBS).In the early stage of superplastic deformation,DR is an important coordination mechanism as associated with the reduced cavitation and dislocation density with increasing tensile temperature.Sufficient DR can relieve stress concentration arising from dislocation piling-up at grain boundaries through the fragmentation from the original coarse structures into the fine equiaxed ones due to recrystallization,which further effectively suppresses apparent grain growth during superplastic deformation.At the late stage of superplastic de-formation,these equiaxed grains make GBS prevalent,which can effectively avoid intergranular cracking and is conducive to the further improvement in elongation.This study advances the understanding of the superplastic deformation mechanism of intermetallic TiAl alloy.     

Flow stress,strain rate,strain relationships in superplastic deformation

The superplastic deformation of materials has commonly been characterized by the strain rate sensitivity, m, determined from two-dimensional, flow stress against strain rate plots. For material in which flow stress varies with strain or because of microstructural changes due to time at a high temperature, superplastic deformation must be characterized with respect to a three dimensional plot in which strain or time is the third axis. Techniques for generating the necessary plots are indicated and a simple experimental method for determining the suitability of a given material to a particular forming operation is described.     

Exploration of entire range of III–V semiconductors and their device applications

Abstract

Superplastic deformation of certain metallic alloys was first observed almost a century ago but simply remained an interesting metallurgical curiosity until the revelation, in 1962, of work in the former Soviet Union. This led to western research and the suggestion by Backofen that the phenomenon could be practically exploited for the manufacture of sheet components. In turn, this resulted in major work to develop new superplastic alloys, forming machinery and forming techniques. Although superplastic behaviour has now been developed in a wide range of materials, its exploitation has been confined to niche applications. It is only the superplastic alloys of titanium and aluminium that have achieved significant commercial markets. The fact that titanium alloys can combine superplastic forming with diffusion bonding to manufacture multisheet structures has assured the material a secure and growing role in aerospace applications. The high basic cost of titanium has precluded significant use in other markets although this could change if current developments in the titanium extraction process are successful. Superplastically formed aluminium components find application in a far wider range of niche applications. It is suggested that the more recent demonstration of superplastic behaviour at much higher strain rates (HSRS) could allow superplastic forming of aluminium alloys to break out of its niche role. However, significant development would be required to combine the existing fundamental knowledge of HSRS with engineering to define a practical, economic manufacturing route for volume production of the new material.     

Microstructural changes occurring during superplastic deformation of Ti-6AI-6V-2Sn alloy

Abstract

Microstructural changes occurring during superplastic deformation of Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn alloy with an initial microstructure consisting of mixed fine lamellar and equiaxed α grains were investigated. Uniaxial tensile tests with constant strain rate were conducted at temperatures ranging from 775 to 925°C and at strain rates rangingfrom 7 × 10^-5 to 1 × 10^-3 S^-l. To investigate the microstructural changes occurring during deformation, some of the tests were terminated at preprogrammed true strains of 0.5, 0.9, and 1.5 for subsequent metallographic investigation. The effects of high temperature exposure on the microstructural changes and on the superplastic deformation behaviour were also evaluated. It was found that both static and dynamic recrystallisation were initiated under certain test conditions and could be related to the flow stress behaviour during the superplastic deformation tests. For tests at low temperature and high strain rate, the flow stress increased quickly at the very beginning of the deformation without significant microstructural change. After the flow stress reached its maximum value, dynamic recrystallisation occurred at a lamellae accompanied by a decrease of the flow stress, known as strain softening. Raising the test temperature or decreasing the deformation strain rate provided the opportunity for thermal energy to initiate static or semidynamic recrystallisation. Thereafter, the flow stress behaviour at the beginning of the test changed to a slow strain hardening type. There also existed a transition temperature; soaking before tensile testing above this temperature would result in static recrystallisation, and the superplastic deformation characteristics would be affected.     

Superplastic power-law creep of Sn–40%Pb–2.5%Sb peritectic alloy

The power law-creep behavior of superplastic Sn–40Pb–2.5Sb alloys with different grain sizes has been investigated at room temperature. Stress exponent values for these alloys have been determined by indentation creep, conventional creep and uniaxial tension tests in order to evaluate the correspondence of indentation creep results with conventional tests. In all cases, the indentation results were in good agreement with each other and with those of the tensile and conventional creep tests. The average stress exponent values of about 2.6 and 3.0 corresponding to the strain rate sensitivity (SRS) indices of 0.33–0.39, depending on the grain size of the materials, indicate that the grain boundary sliding is the possible mechanism during creep deformation of Sn–Pb–Sb alloys. Within limits, the indentation tests are thus considered useful to acquire information on the creep behavior of small specimens of these soft tin–lead–antimony alloys at room temperature. It is also demonstrated that the indentation creep test provides a convenient method to measure SRS and thereby to assess the ability of a material to undergo superplastic deformation.     

Threshold stress in dispersionally strengthened superplastic Al alloys

It is important for practical applications that some commercial alloys with stabilized finegrained structure should exhibit superplastic behaviour at high temperatures. In this paper the results of impression creep tests conducted on AlMgZn alloys are reported and the strain rate sensitivity and activation enthalpy were determined. The mechanical behaviour of the alloys as a function of the strain rate sensitivity can be divided into three regions. At low and high stresses the strain rate sensitivity parameter is low and the deformation process is not superplastic. Superplastic deformation takes place only at intermediate stresses. The microstructural interpretation of these processes involves, in general, the change of the micromechanisms controlling the different deformation processes. It was determined that by the supposition of a threshold stress depending strongly on temperature, the two regions due to low and intermediate stresses of the deformation can be described by the same constitutive equation.     

Superplasticity of fine-grained magnesium alloys for biomedical applications: A comprehensive review

The superplastic behavior of medical magnesium alloys is reviewed in this overview article. Firstly, the basics of superplasticity and superplastic forming via grain boundary sliding (GBS) as the main deformation mechanism are discussed. Subsequently, the biomedical Mg alloys and their properties are tabulated. Afterwards, the superplasticity of biocompatible Mg-Al, Mg-Zn, Mg-Li, and Mg-RE (rare earth) alloys is critically discussed, where the influence of grain size, hot deformation temperature, and strain rate on the tensile ductility (elongation to failure) is assessed. Moreover, the thermomechanical processing routes (e.g. by dynamic recrystallization (DRX)) and severe plastic deformation (SPD) methods for grain refinement and superplasticity in each alloying system are introduced. The importance of thermal stability (thermostability) of the microstructure against the grain coarsening (grain growth) is emphasized, where the addition of alloying elements for the formation of thermally stable pinning particles and segregation of solutes at grain boundaries are found to be major controlling factors. It is revealed that superplasticity at very high temperatures can be achieved in the presence of stable rare-earth intermetallics. On the other hand, the high-strain-rate superplasticity and low-temperature superplasticity in Mg alloys with great potential for industrial applications are summarized. In this regard, it is shown that the ultrafine-grained (UFG) duplex Mg-Li alloys might show remarkable superplasticity at low temperatures. Finally, the future prospects and distinct research suggestions are summarized. Accordingly, this paper presents the opportunities that superplastic Mg alloys can offer for the biomedical industries.     

Einfluss der Al2Cu‐Phase auf die Superplastizität der AlCuMn Legierung

Influence of the Al₂Cu‐phase on the superplasticity of AlCuMn alloy High‐temperature creep‐resistant AlCuMn wrought alloy has been investigated and optimised with respect to their superplastic deformability; a maximal elongation ε of 850 per cent was thus attained at a deformation temperature of 530°C. Prerequisites for superplastic deformation behaviour and for the associated high elongation values of these aluminium alloys are an especially fine‐grained structure as well as a decrease in the amount of Al₂Cu phase and a uniform distribution of this phase in the structure. Superplastic deformation (SPD) results in a pronounced change in the shape of the large particles of the θ‐phase; the particles of this phase thereby form veins along the boundaries of adjacent grains. During deformation, the grains lose their equiaxial shape and elongate in the direction of tension as a result of pronounced intragranular sliding dislocation in the microstructure. Transmission electron micrographs of the deformed structure have revealed a pile‐up of dislocations in the grains of the aluminium alloy. The grain size of commercially available sheets of AlCuMn wrought alloys with a thickness of 1 mm is approximately 30 μm. After optimising, the grain size of the sheets produced by the new method was on 12 μm until 5 μm. The new technique differs only slightly from industrial manufacture.     

The effect of the second-phase volume fraction on the grain size stability and flow stress during superplastic flow of binary alloys

This paper considers to what extent the second-phase volume fraction in superplastic binary alloys affect the matrix grain size stability during deformation and, through it, the flow stress at constant temperature and strain rate. It is shown for five different superplastic binary alloy systems, that at constant temperature and strain rate the flow stress will increase with the deviation of the second-phase volume fraction in the alloys from that required for maximum matrix grain size stability. A new parameter (Z) which quantifies these deviations has been introduced in this paper. The possible errors in determining the pertinent parameters in the rate equation for superplastic flow by testing alloys withZ is discussed.     

Mechanism of saturated flow stress during hot tensile deformation of a TA15 Ti alloy

The recently developed high pressure gas forming technique can efficiently form parts of titanium alloys at a lower temperature with a higher strain rate as compared to the superplastic forming (SPF) technique. However, the deformation mechanism of titanium alloys at the temperatures suitable for high pressure gas forming is still not well understood. The deformation mechanism of a TA15 titanium alloy at 750 °C suitable for high pressure gas forming was investigated in the present work. It was found that the flow stress saturated after a true strain of 10% whilst the dislocation density was not saturated and increased continuously with straining. In addition, the Taylor factor was found to be nearly constant during tensile test. As a result, it is concluded that the α value, which represents the interaction between dislocations in the Taylor hardening model, decreases continuously with strain. It is worth noting that the α value in the Taylor hardening model is usually assumed to be a constant during tensile test in literature. The present work is the first one to report the dependence of α value on the strain for titanium alloys deformed at high temperatures of 750 °C.     

A Walker exponent corrected model for estimating fatigue life of metallic materials in loading with mean stress

Mean stress significantly influence the fatigue life predictions of metallic materials. The Walker mean stress equation with its additional material parameter w provides good predictions for a wide range of materials. Unfortunately, additional tests are necessary to determine the Walker exponent w. In order to overcome this shortcoming, for aluminum alloys, the Walker exponent w was correlated linearly with the sum of ultimate tensile strength and true fracture strength. Then, a Walker exponent corrected effective strain energy density criterion was developed by incorporating the Walker mean stress equation into the strain life curve. The capability of fatigue life prediction for the developed model was checked against the tested data of 304 L stainless steel, SAE 1045 steel, 7075‐T651 aluminum alloy, and Incoloy 901 superalloy, and comparisons were also performed by using the Lv's Walker exponent corrected model. The developed model provides more satisfactory results, especially for the considered materials in loading with mean stress.     

Superplastic microstructures

Abstract

The production of fine, stable equiaxed grains, having disordered high angle boundaries, is a prerequisite for superplastic behaviour in crystalline solids. The way that superplastic microstructures can be achieved in pseudo-single-phase and duplex materials by thermomechanical processing is discussed for a number of commercially significant materials. The resulting superplastic deformation characteristics are outlined, as are the factors that influence cavitation during superplastic flow. Alloys based on aluminium, titanium, copper, iron, and nickel are considered, and also aluminium based metal-matrix composites, intermetallic phases, and crystalline ceramic materials. Recent work on markedly enhanced superplastic behaviour in aluminium and copper alloys and in stainless steels is reported, and the similarities between superplasticity in crystalline ceramics and metallic materials is discussed. The development of superplastic microstructures in metal-matrix composites, intermetallic phases, and ceramics has enhanced their formability and their potential as high temperature structural materials.

MST/1298     

Superplasticity

Superplasticity is the phenomenon of extraordinary ductility exhibited by some alloys with extremely fine grain size, when deformed at elevated temperatures and in certain ranges of strain rate. To put the phenomenology on a proper basis, careful mechanical tests are necessary. These are divided into (i) primary creep tests, (ii) steady state deformation tests, and (iii) instability and fracture tests, all of which lead to identification of macroscopic parameters. At the same time, microstructural observations establish those characteristics that are pre-requisites for superplastic behaviour. Among the macroscopic characteristics to be explained by any theory is a proper form of the equation for the strain rate as a function of stress, grain size and temperature. It is commonly observed that the relationship between stress and strain rate at any temperature is a continuous one that has three distinct regions. The second region covers superplastic behaviour, and therefore receives maximum attention. Any satisfactory theory must also arrive at the dependence of the superplastic behaviour on the various microstructural characteristics. Theories presented so far for microstructural characteristics may be divided into two classes: (i) those that attempt to describe the macroscopic behaviour, and (ii) those that give atomic mechanisms for the processes leading to observable parameters. The former sometimes incorporate micromechanisms. The latter are broadly divided into those making use of dislocation creep, diffusional flow, grain boundary deformation and multimechanisms. The theories agree on the correct values of several parameters, but in matters that are of vital importance such as interphase grain boundary sliding or dislocation activity, there is violent disagreement. The various models are outlined bringing out their merits and faults. Work that must be done in the future is indicated.     

镁合金超塑性的研究现状及发展趋势

综述了镁合金超塑性的研究进展，总结了镁合金超塑性变形的微观机理，评述了镁合金高应变速率超塑性的研究状况，提出了几个需要解决的问题和研究方向。     

超塑处理对喷射成形GCr15钢超塑性的影响

研究了超塑处理对喷射成形GCr15钢超塑性的影响，超塑性拉实验结果表明，未经超塑处理的铸态试样，延伸率为119％，经过二次油淬和二次油淬＋高温回火超塑处理的两种试样，延伸率分别为328％和671％，变形温度和应变速率对GCr15钢的超塑性有一定的影响，但材料的微观组织对其超塑性具有决定性作用，超塑处理改变了材料试样的微观组织，导致其超塑性发生变化，经过二次油淬＋高温回火超塑处理后试样具有球化组织，其超塑性最好，未经超塑处理的铸态试样具有珠光体组织，超塑性最差，经过二次油淬超塑处理后试样的组织是马氏体和少量碳体物的混合，其超塑性介于上述两种试样之间，喷射成形工艺使GCr15钢获得均匀细化的稳定组织，这对于细晶超塑性是必要的，超塑处理材料的超塑性得到更大的提高。