Filling mode and regularity of vertical centrifugal casting process of titanium alloy in thin-walled cylinder cavity

The mold filling process of titanium alloy in a thin-walled cylinder cavity under vertical centrifugal casting process was studied by means of the hydraulic simulation experiments. Results show that the filling mode of the melt in the cylinder cavity varies with casting wall-thickness. When the casting wall-thickness is less than or equal to the thickness of the first layer during the filling process, the melts fill the cavity from the bottom to the top.When the casting wall-thickness is greater than the thickness of the first layer during the filling process, the melts first fill the largest radius parts of the cavity with a certain thickness of the first layer from the bottom to the top of the cavity, and then they fill the cavity from the larger radius part to the smaller radius part. The melt filling ability increases with the increment of the mold rotational speed and the pouring temperature. In another aspect, the melt filling ability rises with the decrement of the melt viscosity, and the melt with the better filling ability is prone to fill the cylinder cavity layer by layer.

Shape controlling and property optimization of TA32 titanium alloy thin-walled part prepared by hot forming

The hot flow behaviors,microstructure evolution and fractographs were studied to optimize the hot forming process of the TA32 titanium alloy thin-walled part.A set of microstructure-based constitutive equations were developed based on the experimental data,which described the relationships among the hot flow stresses and the evolution of phase volume fraction,dislocation density,grain size and damage.The constitutive model was imported into ABAQUS 6.14 to simulate the hot forming process for a typical thin-walled part.The effective strain,dislocation density and damage distribution as well as forming defects of formed parts under different process parameters were predicted.A qualified part without wrinkling and fracture defects was produced at a loading speed of 5 mm/s at 800℃ by the modified blank shape,where the maximum damage value was only 18.3%.The accuracy of constitutive model and finite element(FE)simulation was verified by the microhardness tests,which indicates that the FE model based on physical internal-state variables can well optimize the hot forming process of TA32 titanium alloy complex parts.

High-efficiency forming processes for complex thin-walled titanium alloys components: state-of-the-art and perspectives

Complex thin-walled titanium alloy components play a key role in the aircraft,aerospace and marine industries,offering the advantages of reduced weight and increased thermal resistance.The geometrical complexity,dimensional accuracy and in-service properties are essential to fulfill the high-performance standards required in new transportation systems,which brings new challenges to titanium alloy forming technologies.Traditional forming processes,such as superplastic forming or hot pressing,cannot meet all demands of modern applications due to their limited properties,low productivity and high cost.This has encouraged industry and research groups to develop novel high-efficiency forming processes.Hot gas pressure forming and hot stamping-quenching technologies have been developed for the manufacture of tubular and panel components,and are believed to be the cut-edge processes guaranteeing dimensional accuracy,microstructure and mechanical properties.This article intends to provide a critical review of high-efficiency titanium alloy forming processes,concentrating on latest investigations of controlling dimensional accuracy,microstructure and properties.The advantages and limitations of individual forming process are comprehensively analyzed,through which,future research trends of high-efficiency forming are identified including trends in process integration,processing window design,full cycle and multi-objective optimization.This review aims to provide a guide for researchers and process designers on the manufacture of thin-walled titanium alloy components whilst achieving high dimensional accuracy and satisfying performance properties with high efficiency and low cost.

Recent innovations in laser additive manufacturing of titanium alloys

Titanium(Ti)alloys are widely used in high-tech fields like aerospace and biomedical engineering.Laser additive manufacturing(LAM),as an innovative technology,is the key driver for the development of Ti alloys.Despite the significant advancements in LAM of Ti alloys,there remain challenges that need further research and development efforts.To recap the potential of LAM high-performance Ti alloy,this article systematically reviews LAM Ti alloys with up-to-date information on process,materials,and properties.Several feasible solutions to advance LAM Ti alloys are reviewed,including intelligent process parameters optimization,LAM process innovation with auxiliary fields and novel Ti alloys customization for LAM.The auxiliary energy fields(e.g.thermal,acoustic,mechanical deformation and magnetic fields)can affect the melt pool dynamics and solidification behaviour during LAM of Ti alloys,altering microstructures and mechanical performances.Different kinds of novel Ti alloys customized for LAM,like peritecticα-Ti,eutectoid(α+β)-Ti,hybrid(α+β)-Ti,isomorphousβ-Ti and eutecticβ-Ti alloys are reviewed in detail.Furthermore,machine learning in accelerating the LAM process optimization and new materials development is also outlooked.This review summarizes the material properties and performance envelops and benchmarks the research achievements in LAM of Ti alloys.In addition,the perspectives and further trends in LAM of Ti alloys are also highlighted.

Microstructure evolution and strengthening mechanism of high -performance powder metallurgy TA15 titanium alloy by hot rolling

Hot deformation of sintered billets by powder metallurgy(PM)is an effective preparation technique for titanium alloys,which is more significant for high-alloying alloys.In this study,Ti–6.5Al–2Zr–Mo–V(TA15)titanium alloy plates were prepared by cold press-ing sintering combined with high-temperature hot rolling.The microstructure and mechanical properties under different process paramet-ers were investigated.Optical microscope,electron backscatter diffraction,and others were applied to characterize the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties strengthening mechanism.The results showed that the chemical compositions were uniformly dif-fused without segregation during sintering,and the closing of the matrix craters was accelerated by increasing the sintering temperature.The block was hot rolled at 1200℃ with an 80%reduction under only two passes without annealing.The strength and elongation of the plate at 20–25℃ after solution and aging were 1247 MPa and 14.0%,respectively,which were increased by 24.5%and 40.0%,respect-ively,compared with the as-sintered alloy at 1300℃.The microstructure was significantly refined by continuous dynamic recrystalliza-tion,which was completed by the rotation and dislocation absorption of the substructure surrounded by low-angle grain boundaries.After hot rolling combined with heat treatment,the strength and plasticity of PM-TA15 were significantly improved,which resulted from the dense,uniform,and fine recrystallization structure and the synergistic effect of multiple slip systems.

Comparison of electrochemical behaviors of Ti-5Al-2Sn-4Zr-4Mo-2Cr-1Fe and Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloys in NaNO_(3) solution

The Ti-5Al-2Sn-4Zr-4Mo-2Cr-1Fe(β-CEZ)alloy is considered as a potential structural material in the aviation industry due to its outstanding strength and corrosion resistance.Electrochemical machining(ECM)is an efficient and low-cost technology for manufacturing theβ-CEZ alloy.In ECM,the machining parameter selection and tool design are based on the electrochemical dissolution behavior of the materials.In this study,the electrochemical dissolution behaviors of theβ-CEZ and Ti-6Al-4V(TC4)alloys in NaNO3solution are discussed.The open circuit potential(OCP),Tafel polarization,potentiodynamic polarization,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),and current efficiency curves of theβ-CEZ and TC4 alloys are analyzed.The results show that,compared to the TC4 alloy,the passivation film structure is denser and the charge transfer resistance in the dissolution process is greater for theβ-CEZ alloy.Moreover,the dissolved surface morphology of the two titanium-based alloys under different current densities are analyzed.Under low current densities,theβ-CEZ alloy surface comprises dissolution pits and dissolved products,while the TC4 alloy surface comprises a porous honeycomb structure.Under high current densities,the surface waviness of both the alloys improves and the TC4 alloy surface is flatter and smoother than theβ-CEZ alloy surface.Finally,the electrochemical dissolution models ofβ-CEZ and TC4 alloys are proposed.

Solidified structure of thin-walled titanium parts by vertical centrifugal casting

The solidified structure of the thin-walled and complicated Ti-6AI-4V castings produced by the vertical centrifugal casting process was studied in the present work. The results show that the wall thickness of the section is featured with homogeneously distributed fine equiaxial grains, compared with the microstructure of the thick-walled section. The grain size of the castings has a tendency to decrease gradually with the increasing of the centrifugal radius. The inter-lamellar space in thick-walled casting parts is bigger than that of the thin-walled parts, and the profile of inter-lamellar space is not susceptible to the centrifugal radius.

Significance-based optimization of processing parameters for thin-walled aluminum alloy tube NC bending with small bending radius

Thin-walled aluminum alloy tube numerical control （NC） bending with small bending radius is a complex process with multi-factor coupling effects and multi-die constraints. A significance-based optimization method of the parameters was proposed based on the finite element （FE） simulation, and the significance analysis of the processing parameters on the forming quality in terms of the maximum wall thinning ratio and the maximum cross section distortion degree was implemented using the fractional factorial design. The optimum value of the significant parameter, the clearance between the tube and the wiper die, was obtained, and the values of the other parameters, including the friction coefficients and the clearances between the tube and the dies, the mandrel extension length and the boost velocity were estimated. The results are applied to aluminum alloy tube NC bending d50 mm×1 mm×75 mm and d70 mm×1.5 mm×105 mm （initial tube outside diameter D0 × initial tube wall thickness t0 × bending radius R）, and qualified tubes are produced.

Eliminating shrinkage defects and improving mechanical performance of large thin-walled ZL205A alloy castings by coupling travelling magnetic fields with sequential solidification

ZL205 A alloys with large thin-walled shape were continuously processed by coupling travelling magnetic fields(TMF)with sequential solidification,to eliminate the shrinkage defects and optimize the mechanical performance.Through experiments and simulations,the parameter optimization of TMF and the influence on feeding behavior,microstructure and properties were systematically studied.The results indicate that the magnetic force maximizes at the excitation current of 20 A and frequency of 200 Hz under the experimental conditions of this study,and increases from center to side-walls,which is more convenient to process thin-walled castings.TMF can break secondary dendritic arm and dendrites overlaps,widen feeding channels,prolong the feeding time,optimize the feeding paths,eliminate shrinkage defects and improve properties.Specifically,for as-cast state,TMF with excitation current of 20 A increases ultimate tensile strength,elongation and micro-hardness from 186 MPa,7.3%and 82.1 kg/mm^(2) to 221 MPa,11.7%and 100.5 kg/mm^(2),decreases porosity from 1.71%to 0.22%,and alters brittle fracture to ductile fracture.

Finite element simulation on the deep drawing of titanium thin-walled surface part

The deep drawing of titanium thin-walled surface part was simulated based on a self-developed three-dimensional finite element model. After an investigation on forming rules, a virtual orthogonal experimental design was adopted to determine the significance of processing parameters, such as die radius, blank holder force, and friction coefficient, on the forming process. The distributions of thickness and equivalent plastic strain of the drawn part were evaluated. The results show that die radius has a relative major influence on the deep drawing process, followed by friction coefficient and blank holder force.

Preparation and Properties of Cu-Containing High-entropy Alloy Nitride Films by Magnetron Sputtering on Titanium Alloy

Magnetron sputtering deposition with regulated Cu target power was used for depositing Cu-containing high-entropy alloy nitride(Cu-(HEA)N)films on TC4 titanium alloy substrates.The microscopic morphologies,surface compositions,and thicknesses of the films were characterized using SEM+EDS;the anti-corrosion,wear resistance and antibacterial properties of the films in simulated seawater were investigated.The experimental results show that all four Cu-(HEA)N films are uniformly dense and contained nanoparticles.The film with Cu doping come into contact with oxygen in the air to form cuprous oxide.The corrosion resistance of the(HEA)N film without Cu doping on titanium alloy is better than the films with Cu doping.The Cu-(HEA)N film with Cu target power of 16 W shows the best wear resistance and antibacterial performance,which is attributed to the fact that Cu can reduce the coefficient of friction and exacerbate corrosion,and the formation of cuprous oxide has antibacterial properties.The findings of this study provide insights for engineering applications of TC4 in the marine field.

Tribological Behaviors of Electroless Nickel-Boron Coating on Titanium Alloy Surface

Titanium alloys are excellent structural materials in engineering fields,but their poor tribological properties limit their further applications.Electroless plating is an effective method to enhance the tribological performance of alloys,but it is difficult to efficiently apply to titanium alloys,due to titanium alloy’s strong chemical activity.In this work,the electroless Nickel-Boron(Ni-B)coating was successfully deposited on the surface of titanium alloy(Ti-6AL-4V)via a new pre-treatment process.Then,linearly reciprocating sliding wear tests were performed to evaluate the tribological behaviors of titanium alloy and its electroless Ni-B coatings.It was found that the Ni-B coatings can decrease the wear rate of the titanium alloy from 19.89×10^(−3)mm^(3)to 0.41×10^(−3)mm^(3),which attributes to the much higher hardness of Ni-B coatings.After heat treatment,the hardness of Ni-B coating further increases corresponding to coating crystallization and hard phase formation.However,heat treatment does not improve the tribological performance of Ni-B coating,due to the fact that higher brittleness and more severe oxidative wear exacerbate the damage of heat-treated coatings.Furthermore,the Ni-B coatings heat-treated both in air and nitrogen almost present the same tribological performance.The finding of this work on electroless coating would further extend the practical applications of titanium alloys in the engineering fields.

A review on advances of high-throughput experimental technology for titanium alloys

Ti alloys,as leading lightweight and high-strength metallic materials,exhibit significant application potential in aerospace,marine engineering,biomedical,and other industries.However,the lack of fundamental understanding of the microstructure−property relationship results in prolonged research and development(R&D)cycles,hindering the optimization of the performance of Ti alloys.Recently,the advent of high-throughput experimental(HTE)technology has shown promise in facilitating the efficient and demand-driven development of next-generation Ti alloys.This work reviews the latest advancements in HTE technology for Ti alloys.The high-throughput preparation(HTP)techniques commonly used in the fabrication of Ti alloys are addressed,including diffusion multiple,additive manufacturing(AM),vapor deposition and others.The current applications of high-throughput characterization(HTC)techniques in Ti alloys are shown.Finally,the research achievements in HTE technology for Ti alloys are summarized and the challenges faced in their industrial application are discussed.

Phase transformation in titanium alloys:A review

Due to a series of exceptional properties,titanium and titanium alloys have received extensive attention in recent years.Different from other alloy systems,there are two allotropes and a sequence of metastable phases in titanium alloys.By summarizing the recent investigations,the phase transformation processes corresponding to the common phases and also some less reported phases are reviewed.For the phase transformation only involvingαandβphases,it can be divided intoβ→αtransformation and a reverse transformation.The former one has been demonstrated from the orientation relationship betweenαandβphases and the regulation ofαmorphology.For the latter transformation,the role of the stress has been discussed.In terms of the metastable phases,the mechanisms of phase formation and their effects on microstructure and mechanical properties have been discussed.Finally,some suggestions about the development of titanium alloys have been proposed.

A new rhombohedral phase and its 48 variants inβtitanium alloy

A new rhombohedral phase(termed R′)in a solution-aging-treated titanium alloy(Ti-4.5Al-6.5Mo-2Cr-2Nb-1V-1Sn-1Zr,wt.%)was identified.Its accurate Bravais lattice parameters were determined by a novel unit cell reconstruction method based on conventional selected-area electron diffraction(SAED)technique.The orientation relationship between R'phase and BCC phase was revealed.The results show that the R′phase is found to have 48crystallographically equivalent variants,resulting in rather complicated SAED patterns with high-order reflections.A series of in-situ SAED patterns were taken along both low-and high-index zone axes,and all weak and strong reflections arising from the 48 variants were properly explained and directly assigned with self-consistent Miller indices,confirming the presence of the rhombohedral phase.Additionally,some criteria were also proposed for evaluating the indexed results,which together with the Bravais lattice reconstruction method shed light on the microstructure characterization of even unknown phases in other alloys.

Hot Deformation Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Ni-0.5Nb Titanium Alloy

Characterization of hot deformation behavior of Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Ni-0.5Nb titanium alloy was investigated through isothermal compression at various temperatures from 750 to 1050℃and strain rate from 0.01 to 10 s^(-1).The isothermal compression experiment results showed that the peak stress of Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Ni-0.5Nb titanium alloy decreased with the temperature increasing and the strain rate decreasing.The softening mechanism was dynamic recovery below T_(β)and changed to dynamic recrystallization above T_(β).The arrheniustype relationship was used to calculate the constitutive equation of Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Ni-0.5Nb alloy in two-phase regions.It was found that the apparent activation energies were 427.095 kJ·mol^(-1)in theα+βphase region and 205.451 kJ·mol^(-1)in theβphase region,respectively.On the basis of dynamic materials model,the processing map is generated,which shows that the highest peak efficiency of power dissipation of 56%occurs at about 1050℃/0.01 s^(-1).It can be found in the processing maps that the strain had significant effect on the peak region of power dissipation efficiency of Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Ni-0.5Nb alloy.Furthermore,optimized hot working regions were investigated and validated through microstructure observation.The optimum thermo mechanical process condition for hot working of Ti-6Al-4V-0.5Ni-0.5Nb titanium alloy was suggested to be in the temperature range of 950-1000℃with a strain rate of 0.01-0.1 s^(-1).

Role of processing parameters on relative density,microstructure and mechanical properties of selective laser melted titanium alloy

The relationships between the selective laser melting(SLM)processing parameters including laser power,scanning speed and hatch space,the relative density,the microstructure,and resulting mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V alloy were investigated in this work.The result shows that laser power acts a dominant role in determining the relative density in comparison with scanning speed and hatch space.The optimal SLM process window for fabricating relative density>99%samples is located in the energy density range of 34.72 J·mm^(-3)to 52.08 J·mm^(-3),where the laser power range is between 125 W and 175 W.An upward trend is found in the micro-hardness as the energy density is increased.The optimum SLM processing parameters of Ti-6Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V alloy are:laser power of 150 W,scanning speed of 1,600 mm·s^(-1),hatch space of 0.08 mm,and layer thickness of 0.03 mm.The highest ultimate tensile strength,yield strength,and ductility under the optimum processing parameter are achieved,which are 1,205 MPa,1,099 MPa,and 8%,respectively.The results of this study can be used to guide SLM production Ti-6Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V alloy parts.

Numerical simulation for mold-filling of thin-walled aluminum alloy castings in traveling magnetic field

The numerical simulation for mold-filling of thin-walled aluminum alloy castings in horizontal traveling magnetic field is performed. A force model of Al alloy melt in the traveling magnetic field is founded by analyzing traveling magnetic field carefully. Numerical model of Al alloy mold-filling is founded based on N-S equation, which was suitable for traveling magnetic field. By using acryl glass mold with indium as alloy melt, the experiment testified the filling state of alloy in traveling magnetic field. The results of numerical simulation indicate that the mold-filling ability of gallium melt increases continually with the increase of the input ampere turns.

Dynamic globularization kinetics during hot working of TA15 titanium alloy with colony microstructure

The dynamic globularization kinetics of TA15（Ti-6Al-2Zr-1Mo-1V） titanium alloy with a colony α microstructure during deformation at temperature range of 860-940 ℃ and strain rate range of 0.01-10 s-1 was quantitatively studied through isothermal compression tests.It is found that the dynamic globularization kinetics and the kinetics rate of TA15 are sensitive to deformation parameters.The dynamic globularized fraction increases with increasing strain,temperature but decreasing strain rate.The variation of globularized fraction with strain approximately follows an Avrami type equation.Using the Avrami type equation,the initiation and completion strains for dynamic globularization of TA15 were predicted to be 0.34-0.59 and 3.40-6.80.The kinetics rate of dynamic globularization increases with strain at first,then decreases.The peak value of kinetics rate,which corresponds to 20%-33% globularization fraction,increases with increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate.

Influence of high-speed milling parameter on 3D surface topography and fatigue behavior of TB6 titanium alloy

High-speed milling of titanium alloys is widely used in aviation and aerospace industries for its high efficiency and good quality.In order to optimize the machining parameters in high-speed milling TB6 titanium alloy,experiments of high-speed milling and fatigue were conducted to investigate the effect of parameters on 3D surface topography and fatigue life.Based on the fatigue fracture,the effect mechanism of surface topography on the fatigue crack initiation was proposed.The experiment results show that when the milling speed ranged from 100 m/min to 140 m/min,and the feed per tooth ranged from 0.02 mm/z to 0.06 mm/z,the obtained surface roughness were within the limit（0.8 μm）.Fatigue life decreased sharply with the increase of surface equivalent stress concentration factor.The average error of fatigue life between the established model and the experimental results was 6.25%.The fatigue cracks nucleated at the intersection edge of machined surface.