The effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical property of laser melting deposition γ-TiAl intermetallic alloys

Ti–47Al–2.5V–1Cr and Ti–40Al–2Cr (at.%) intermetallic alloys was fabricated by the laser melting deposition (LMD) manufacturing process. The microstructure was characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The room-temperature (RT) tensile properties and Vickers hardness of the as-deposited and heat-treated specimens were evaluated on longitudinal directions. Results shows that full density columnar grain with fully lamellar (FL) microstructure consisted of γ-TiAl and α₂-Ti₃Al was formed in the as-deposited γ-TiAl samples. The room-temperature tensile strength of the as-deposited Ti–47Al–2.5V–1Cr alloy is up to approximately 650 MPa in the longitudinal direction and 600 MPa for the as-deposited Ti–40Al–2Cr alloy, while the tensile elongation is approximately 0.6% at most. Different microstructure types were obtained in the Ti–47Al–2.5V–1Cr and Ti–40Al–2Cr alloy after heat treatment. The stress–strain curve and the tensile fracture sub-surface indicate that the fracture manner of the as-deposited and heat-treated specimens was inter-granular manner.     

Effects of Al–5Ti–1B and Al–5Zr master alloys on the structure, hardness and tensile properties of a highly alloyed aluminum alloy

This study was undertaken to investigate the influence of Al–5Ti–1B and Al–5Zr master alloys on the structural characteristics and tensile properties of Al–12Zn–3 Mg–2.5Cu aluminum alloy. The optimum amount for Ti and Zr containing master alloys was selected as 1 wt.% and 6 wt.%, respectively. The results also showed that Ti containing master alloy is more effective in reducing average grain size of the alloy. T6 heat treatment was applied for all specimens before tensile testing. In heat treated condition, the average tensile strength of 505 MPa was found to be increased to 621 MPa for sample refined with 1 wt.% Al–5Ti–1B (0.05 wt.% Ti). SEM fractography of the fractured faces of several castings showed an overall macroscopically brittle appearance at low magnifications. At higher magnifications, unrefined specimens showed cracking along the grains, whereas Ti-refined specimens showed cracks in individual intermetallic compounds.     

Properties of (Ti,Nb)Al–(Ti,Nb)5Si3 eutectic composite

Ti–40Al–5Si and Ti–39Al–5Si–2Nb (in at.%) alloys were studied as prospective high-temperature structural composites consisting of γ-(Ti,Nb)Al + α₂-(Ti,Nb)₃Al matrix and Ti₅Si₃ reinforcement. The alloys were prepared by arc melting under helium. Oxidation resistance was studied at 900 °C in air. Thermal stability of alloys was investigated by measuring room temperature hardness and compressive strength after long-term annealing at 900 °C. To prepare oriented composites, directional crystallization at rates of 5–115 mm/h was carried out by the floating zone technique. It was observed that the addition of 2% Nb to the Ti–40Al–5Si alloy does not modify eutectic structure. Niobium is almost uniformly distributed in all present phases. Both alloys show excellent oxidation resistance at 900 °C in air. The Nb-addition causes significant improvement of oxidation resistance due to the doping effect and increase of Al activity in the scales. Room temperature hardness and compressive strength of both as-cast alloys are similar – about 500 HV and 1600 MPa, respectively. Room temperature mechanical properties do not reduce significantly after 300 h annealing at 900 °C, due to a high morphological stability of eutectic silicides. Directionally solidified alloys consist of columnar Ti–Al grains elongated in crystallization direction and silicides. Niobium refines both Ti–Al grains and Ti₅Si₃ silicides. As a consequence, orientation and elongation of silicides in the Nb-containing alloy are reduced. In the Ti–Al–Si alloy directionally crystallized at 5–115 mm/h, the silicide interparticle spacing λ (in mm) is related to the crystallization rate R   (in mm/h) by a following expression: λ^1.33·R=0.32${\lambda }^{1.33}·R=0.32$. In the Nb-containing alloy, silicide interparticle spacing does not depend on the crystallization rate.     

Corrosion behavior of Ti–8Al–1Mo–1V alloy compared to Ti–6Al–4V

The corrosion behavior of Ti–8Al–1Mo–1V alloy was investigated in 3.5% NaCl and 5% HCl solutions. Corrosion properties of Ti–6Al–4V alloy were also evaluated under the same conditions for comparison. It was found that both Ti–8Al–1Mo–1V and Ti–6Al–4V alloys exhibited spontaneous passivity and low corrosion current densities in 3.5% NaCl solution. The potentiodynamic polarization curves obtained in 5% HCl solution revealed an active–passive transition behavior and similar corrosion rates for the examined alloys. However, the results of the weight loss experiments under accelerated immersion conditions (5 M HCl at 35 °C) indicated that Ti–8Al–1Mo–1V alloy exhibited inferior corrosion behavior compared to Ti–6Al–4V alloy. These results were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the samples after immersion tests which revealed that the β phase was corroded preferentially for both alloys, but to a larger extent in the case of Ti–8Al–1Mo–1V alloy.     

Prediction of the mechanical properties of the post-forged Ti–6Al–4V alloy using fuzzy neural network

Isothermal compression of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy was conducted at a 2500 ton isothermal hydrostatic press, and the mechanical properties including ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and area reduction of the post-forged Ti–6Al–4V alloy were measured at a ZWICK/Z150 testing machine. A fuzzy neural network (FNN) was applied to acquire the relationships between the mechanical properties and the processing parameters of post-forged Ti–6Al–4V alloy. In establishing those relationships, the forging temperature, strain and strain rate were taken as the inputs, whilst the ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and area reduction were taken as the output respectively. The predicted results using the present FNN model is in a good agreement with the experimental data of the post-forged Ti–6Al–4V alloy, and the optimum processing parameters can be quickly and conveniently selected to achieve the desired mechanical properties by means of the prediction based on the fuzzy neural network model.     

Interfacial microstructure and shear strength of Ti–6Al–4V/TiAl laminate composite sheet fabricated by hot packed rolling

A two layer Ti–6Al–4V(wt.%)/Ti–43Al–9V–Y(at.%) laminate composite sheet with a uniform interfacial microstructure and no discernible defects at the interfaces has been prepared by hot-pack rolling, and its interfacial microstructure and shear strength were characterized. Characterization of the interfacial microstructure shows that there was an interfacial region of uniform thickness of about 250 μm which consisted of two layers: Layer I on the TiAl side which was 80 μm thick and Layer II on the Ti–6Al–4V side which was 170 μm thick. The microstructure of Layer I consisted of massive γ phases, needlelike γ phases and B2 phase matrix, while the microstructure of Layer II consisted of α₂ phase. The microstructure of the interfacial region is the result of the interdiffusion of Ti element from Ti–6Al–4V alloy layer into the TiAl alloy layer and Al element from the TiAl alloy layer into the Ti–6Al–4V alloy layer. The shear strength measurement demonstrated that the bonding strength between the TiAl alloy and Ti–6Al–4V alloy layers in the laminate composite sheet was very high. This means that the quality of the interfacial bonding between the two layers achieved by the multi-path rolling is high, and the interface between the layers is very effective in transferring loading, causing significantly improved toughness and plasticity of the TiAl/Ti–6Al–4V laminate composite sheet.     

Influence of zirconium on grain refining efficiency of Al–Ti–C master alloys

The influence of Zirconium on the grain refinement performance of Al–Ti–C master alloys and the effect mechanism has been studied in this paper. The experimental results show that Zr not only results in poisoning the Al–Ti–B master alloy, but also poisons the Al–Ti–C master alloys. The poisoning effect is more obvious at higher melting temperature. When 0.12%Zr is added into the melt, the grain refinement performance of Al–5Ti–0.4C refiner with 0.2% addition level absolutely disappears at 800 °C. The experimental results also show that it is difficult to refine the commercial purity Al containing 0.15%Zr by Al–5Ti–0.4C master alloy. Further experiments show that the Zr element can interact with both TiAl₃ and TiC phases. If both of them are present, Zr preferentially reacts with TiAl₃ phase.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of biocompatible high density Ti–6Al–4V/W produced by high frequency induction heating sintering

High frequency induction heating sintering method is used for sintering of the metal and ceramics powder. This technique has been used to produce high density compacts, containing as small grains as possible of powders. The alloy of Ti–6Al–4V was modified by addition of 2.5, 5, and 10 wt.% tungsten through powder metallurgy. Ti–6Al–4V/W was prepared by high-energy mechanical milling. The use of the high frequency induction heating sintering technique allows sintering to nearly full density at comparatively low temperatures and short holding times, and therefore suppressing grain growth. Different process parameters such as sintering temperature, and applied pressure have been investigated. The obtained compacts are characterized with respect to their densities, grain morphologies and pore distributions as well as hardness. Ti–6Al–4V/W powder precursors have been successfully compacted and consolidated to densities exceeding 98.8%. The maximum compressive strengths were obtained at sintering temperature 1000 °C for the samples containing 5% W, and at 1100 °C for the samples with 10% W. Maximum hardness was obtained 45 HRC at 1100 °C for 10% W.     

The elevated-temperature fatigue behavior of boron-modified Ti–6Al–4V(wt.%) castings

This work investigated the effect of nominal boron additions of 0.1 and 1.0 wt.% on the elevated-temperature (455 °C) fatigue deformation behavior of Ti–6Al–4V(wt.%) castings for maximum applied stresses between 250 and 450 MPa (R = 0.1 and 5 Hz). Boron additions resulted in a dramatic refinement of the as-cast grain size, and larger boron additions resulted in larger titanium-boride (TiB) phase volume percents. The boron-containing alloys exhibited longer average fatigue lives than those for Ti–6Al–4V, which was suggested to be related to the reduced as-cast grain size and the addition of strong and stiff TiB phase. The Ti–6Al–4V–0.1B alloy exhibited the longest average fatigue lives. The TiB phase cracked during the fatigue experiments and this resulted in a decreasing Young's modulus with increased cycle number. Each alloy exhibited α-phase cracking and environmentally assisted surface edge cracking.     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of directionally solidified Ti–45Al–8Nb–(W,B, Y) alloys

Intermetallic Ti–45Al–8Nb–(W, B, Y) (at.%) alloys were directionally solidified at growth rates of 10–400 μm/s with a Bridgeman type apparatus. Microstructures and room temperature (RT) mechanical properties of the directionally solidified (DS) alloys were investigated. The microstructures with different segregation morphologies were observed at different growth rates. Fully lamellar (FL) microstructure evolves into a massive microstructure when the growth rate is up to 100 μm/s. Both the width of columnar grain and the interlamellar spacing decrease with increasing growth rate. Compressive properties were not proportional to the growth rates but closely related to the segregation morphologies. Only the DS alloy with columnar pattern of Al-segregation had tensile ductility. A better RT tensile plastic elongation level of 2% and yield strength 475 MPa were obtained at growth rate of 10 μm/s. Cracks propagated in transgranular mode predominantly. Larger elongated B2 particles produced in the interdendritic regions were detrimental to the tensile ductility of the DS alloy.     

Mechanical properties of additive manufactured titanium (Ti–6Al–4V) blocks deposited by a solid-state laser and wire

In this paper, the mechanical properties and chemical composition of additive manufactured Ti–6Al–4V blocks are investigated and compared to plate material and aerospace specifications. Blocks (seven beads wide, seven layers high, 165 mm long) were deposited using a 3.5 kW Nd:YAG laser and Ti–6Al–4V wire. Two different sets of process parameters are used and three different conditions (as-built, 600 °C/4 h, 1200 °C/2 h) of the deposit are investigated. The particular impurity levels of the blocks are considerably below those tolerated according to aerospace material specifications (AMS 4911L). Static tensile samples are extracted from the blocks in the deposition direction and punch samples are extracted in the building direction. The experiments show that as-deposited Ti–6Al–4V can achieve strength and ductility properties that fulfill aerospace specifications of the wrought Ti–6Al–4V material (AMS 4928). The 600 °C/4 h heat treatment leads to a significantly higher strength in the deposition direction, but can also decrease ductility. The 1200 °C/2 h treatment tends to decrease the alloy’s strength.     

Impact toughness in Al–12Si and Al–12Si–3Cu cast alloys—Part 1: Effect of process variables and microstructure

The charpy impact energy of Al–12Si and Al–12Si–3Cu cast alloys was measured in terms of the total absorbed energy. The standard charpy specimens 10×10×55 mm with a 2 mm V-notch were prepared from the castings. Effect of process variables and microstructural changes on the impact toughness of Al–12Si and Al–12Si–3Cu cast alloys was investigated. The results indicate that combined grain refined and modified Al–12Si–3Cu cast alloys have microstructures consisting of uniformly distributed α-Al dendrites, eutectic Al–Si and fine CuAl₂ particles in the interdendritic region. These alloys exhibited better impact toughness in the cast condition compared with the same alloy subjected to only grain refinement or modification.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of directionally solidified high-Nb containing Ti–Al alloys

Two high-Nb containing Ti–Al alloys, Ti–16Al–8Nb and Ti–16Al–8Nb–1Sn were fabricated using directional solidification. Their microstructures and mechanical properties at both room and high temperatures were studied. Results showed that the addition of 1% Sn promoted the formation of laths and contributed remarkably to the enhancement in room-temperature strength and high temperature ductility of Ti–Al alloy. The alloys exhibited the feature of quasi-cleavage fracture at room temperature and they experienced significant plastic deformation at high temperatures.     

Influence of oxygen content on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–Nb–Ta–Zr alloy

The influence of oxygen content on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–22.5Nb–0.7Ta–2Zr (at.%) alloy was investigated in this work. According to experiments, the grains were refined apparently when the oxygen content was between 1.5% and 2.0%. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) increased and elongation decreased with increasing oxygen content. But at the content of 1.0%, the elongation was nearly the same to that of the original alloy (about 16%). The elastic modulus remained comparatively low (<65 GPa) when the content was lower than 1.5%, and then increased dramatically. Therefore, there existed the best oxygen content-1.0%, at which fine grains were obtained, as well as UTS of 750 MPa, elongation of 16% and elastic modulus of 65 GPa. The Ti–22.5Nb–0.7Ta–2Zr–1.0O alloy maintained typical ductile fracture characteristics of beta titanium alloy, and had a little superelasticity.     

Prediction of flow stress in isothermal compression of Ti–6Al–4V alloy using fuzzy neural network

Isothermal compression of Ti–6Al–4V alloy at the deformation temperatures ranging from 1093 K to 1303 K with an interval 20 K, the strain rates ranging from 0.001 s⁻¹ to 10.0 s⁻¹ and the height reductions ranging from 20% to 60% with an interval 10% were carried out on a Thermecmaster-Z simulator. Based on the experimental results, a model for the flow stress in isothermal compression of Ti–6Al–4V alloy was established in terms of the fuzzy neural network (FNN) with a back-propagation learning algorithm using strain, strain rate and deformation temperature as inputs. The maximum difference and the average difference between the predicted and the experimental flow stress are 18.7% and 4.76%, respectively. The comparison between the predicted results based on the FNN model for flow stress and those using the regression method has illustrated that the FNN model is more efficient in predicting the flow stress of Ti–6Al–4V alloy.     

Effect of grain refinement on the mechanical properties of Cu–Al–Be–B shape memory alloy

In this work, the mechanical properties of equal channel angular processing (ECAP)-processed fine- and coarse-grained Cu–11.42Al–0.35Be–0.18B shape memory alloys (wt.%) were evaluated using tensile testing. After eight passes of ECAP and subsequently quenching from 600 °C to RT, the mean grain diameter was refined from 227 μm to 42 μm with grain boundaries purified. The fine-grained alloy exhibited good mechanical properties with a high tensile strength (703 MPa) and featured deeper and closer dimples on its fracture surface. The micro cracks were more refined, and the cracks extension along the grain boundaries was improved in the fine-grained alloy. These changes can be attributed to improvement of martensite morphology, structural refinement and grain boundary purification.     

Effects of Cr addition on grindability of cast Ti–10Zr based alloys

The present study was undertaken to investigate the microstructure, microhardness and grindability of a series of cast Ti–10Zr–xCr alloys with 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 wt.% Cr. The grindability of Ti–10Zr and Ti–10Zr–xCr alloys was evaluated by measuring the amount of metal volume removed after grinding for 1 min at each of the four rotational speeds of the wheel (500, 750, 1000 or 1200 m min⁻¹), with the goal of developing a titanium alloy possessing superior grindability than commercially pure titanium (c.p. Ti). The results indicate that the structure of Ti–10Zr–xCr alloys is sensitive to the Cr content. With Cr contents higher than 3 wt.%, the equi-axed β phase began to be retained, while ω phase was found in the Ti–10Zr–3Cr, Ti–10Zr–5Cr and Ti–10Zr–7Cr alloys. The largest quantity of ω phase and the highest microhardness values were found in the Ti–10Zr–5Cr alloy. The grinding rates of the Ti–10Zr based alloys showed a similar tendency to the microhardness. The Ti–10Zr–5Cr alloy exhibited the best grindability, especially at 500, 750 and 1000 m min⁻¹. Its grinding rate at 1000 m min⁻¹ was about 2.6 times that of c.p. Ti, and the grinding ratio was approximately 2.7 times that of c.p. Ti. This study concluded that because Cr can not only harden Titanium, but also improve its grindability, the Ti–10Zr–5Cr alloy has a great potential for use as a dental machining alloy.     

Producing Ti–6Al–4V/TiC composite with good ductility by vacuum induction melting furnace and hot rolling process

In this paper, Ti–6Al–4V/TiC composite was fabricated by VIM furnace and graphite crucible. X-ray diffraction analysis and EDS techniques were used to identify the phases in the material. Microstructure characteristics of the Ti–6Al–4V/TiC composite were evaluated by means of optical microscopy. The tensile test was performed at room temperature after hot-rolling of the samples in the beta phase field. The results revealed that at different melting times, three kinds of precipitates are formed in the microstructure including grain boundary, eutectic and transgranular precipitates. The size of transgranular precipitates was significantly larger than that of the other two types of carbides and had the worst effect on ductility. Furthermore, an increase in the amount of carbon by increasing the melting time led to an increase in hardness and strength and decrease in ductility. Finally, TiC/Ti–6Al–4V with high strength (∼1200 MPa) and good ductility (10% elongation and 15% reduction in area) was produced in VIM furnace using 0.5 min melting time.