Phase identification and effect of W on the microstructure and micro-hardness of Ti2AlNb-based intermetallic alloys

The O-phase (orthorhombic Ti₂AlNb phase) intermetallic alloy has been considered one of the strongest materials for high temperature application. The primary compositions of the test alloys in this paper are Ti–22Al–27Nb (at.%) and Ti–22Al–20Nb–2W (at.%). By in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests, each phase is identified and the lattice parameters of each phase are calculated for different temperatures. XRD tests show that a Ti₂AlNb-β phase, partially ordered b.c.c. phase, exists besides O, ₂ and B2 that are usually expected in the Ti–Al–Nb alloy system. In this paper, the effects of tungsten on the microstructure and micro-hardness of a Ti₂AlNb-based (O+b.c.c.) alloy are investigated. The effects of W on Ti₂AlNb-based intermetallic alloys are widely known to cause a refinement of microstructure and improvement of mechanical strength, however, the reason has not yet been reported. In this paper, the role of W in the improvement of mechanical strength is clarified. The main effect of W addition is not the formation of a solid solution or the formation of W-precipitates but the refinement of the Widmanstätten structure.