Microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy melted in various crucibles

The main factors limiting the mass production of TiAl-based components are the high reactivity of TiAl-based alloys with the crucible or mould at high temperature.In this work,various crucibles (e.g.CaO,Y2O3 ceramic crucibles and water-cooled copper crucible) were used to fabricate the Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy in a vacuum induction furnace.The effects of crucible materials and melting parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy were analyzed by means of microstructure observation,chemical analysis,tensile test and fracture surface observation.The possibilities of melting TiAl alloys in crucibles made of CaO and Y2O3 refractory materials were also discussed.

DEFORMATION-INDUCED α2→γ TRANSFORMATION IN A HOT DEFORMED Ti-45A1-10Nb ALLOY

High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) was employed to investigate the deformation-induced α2→γ phase transformation phenomenon in a hot deformed Ti-45Al-10Nb alloy. Such a tronsformation can be nucleated either at α2/γ interfaces or at stacking faults on the basal planes of the α2 phase. The growth of deformation-induced γplate is accomplished by the motion of α/6<100> Shockley partials on alternate basal planes (0001)α2, and the α/6<100> Shockley partials move in coordination rather than sweep on (0001)α2 plane one by one. It appears that no atom transportation is involved in this stress-induced α2→γ transfromation.

A Fractal Study on Brittle-Ductile Transition forTi-24Al-11Nb Alloy

The mechanical behaviours of Ti-24Al-11Nb alloy in the brittle-ductile transition (BOT) have been investigated by using three-point bending tests. The temperature dependence of the fractal dimensions and fractal characterization of fracture surfaces are presented. The probable mechanism controlling BDT of intermetallic alloys are proposed according to fractal geometry.Additionally. it is found that there is a positive relationship between the fractal dimension and fracture toughness in BDT for Ti-24Al-11Nb

Corrosion Resistance of Zr-1Nb Alloy in Lithium Hydroxide Aqueous Solution

The corrosion resistance of Zr-1Nb alloy was compared with that of Zr-Sn-Nb-Fe and Zr-4 alloys, and the effect of hydrochemistry on the corrosion resistance of Zr-1Nb alloy was discussed. Experimental results show that niobium oxide is partly soluble in LiOH aqueous solution. Therefore, when Zr-1Nb alloy is corroded in LiOH aqueous solution, a soluble niobate produced by the reaction between the corrosion products of beta -Nb particles and LiOH results in the formation of pores in the zirconium oxide films and causes the degradation of the corrosion resistance of Zr-1Nb alloy tested in LiOH aqueous solution.

Deformation-induced α_2/γ Interfaces in a Hot-deformed Ti-45Al-10Nb Alloy

The structure change of α2/γ interface in a Ti-45Al-10Nb alloy induced by hot deformation was investigated by conventional and high-resolution transmission eIectron microscopy. Two types of hot deformation induced special α2/γ intedeces, coherent intedeces with high density of ledges and semi-coherent α2/γ intedeces were found to be due to the absorption of mobile dislocations into the α2/γ inteface. For the misoriented semi-coherent α2/γ interfaces, the densities of dislocation ledges increase with the misoriented angle between (111)γ and (0001)α2 planes, and 1/3[111] Frank partial dislocations were involved in the dislocation ledges. Formation mechanism of these deformation-induced α2/γ interfaces was discussed to be related to the role of α2/γ interface5 adjusting the deformation as a dislocation sink absorbing the slipping dislocations in the γ phase

FRACTURE MECHANISM IN Ti_3Al+Si+Nb ALLOYS

Ti_3Al+Si+Nb alloys containing Ti_5Si_3 have the potential in ductility improvements. In this paper, the fracture mechanism of this alloy is under investigation. Three kinds of alloys in the as rolled condition were prepared for determination of KIC values and calculation of J-resistance curves. The results show that the morphology of Ti_5Si_3 has a great influence on the KIC. values of the alloys and crack growth resistance. The fracture mechanism is controlled by Ti_5Si_3 particles.

Low-cost surface modification of a biomedical Zr-2.5Nb alloy fabricated by electron beam melting

The Zr-2.5Nb alloy with a fine microstructure consisting ofαlaths was successfully prepared by electron beam melting(EBM).The thermal oxidation behaviors and kinetics of the as-built,and the EBM-built and hot isostatically pressed(HIPed)Zr-2.5Nb materials in a temperature range of 450-600°C were in-vestigated and compared with those of the alloy prepared by conventional casting and forging.It was found that the oxidation kinetics of the as-built and the forged materials followed the parabolic rate law during isothermal oxidation at 550°C,but the HIPed materials exhibited a parabolic-to-linear kinetic transition,suggesting that the larger grain sizes enhanced the oxidation.The oxide layers of all materials were composed of a large fraction of monoclinic zirconia phase(m-ZrO_(2))and a small fraction of tetrago-nal zirconia phase(t-ZrO_(2)),and transformed from t-ZrO_(2)to m-ZrO_(2)with increasing oxidation time.The surface hardness of the as-built,the forged and the HIPed materials increased from 215,204,and 188 HV before oxidation to 902,1070,and 1137 HV after oxidation,respectively.The cross-sections of the materi-als showed the presence of micropores and microcracks inside the oxide layers with thicknesses ranging from 4 to 8μm.With the oxidation temperature of 600°C and oxidation time duration of 3 h,a dense black m-ZrO_(2)oxide layer with smooth surface and 902 HV hardness was obtained on the EBM as-built Zr-2.5Nb materials.

Enhanced bioactivity and interfacial bonding strength of Ti3Zr2Sn3Mo25Nb alloy through graded porosity and surface bioactivation

The gradient porous Ti3Zr2Sn3Mo25Nb(TLM)alloy rods were fabricated through sintering the alloyed powder to a solid core.The porous sample was then modified by a Micro Arc Oxidation(MAO)treatment in an electrolyte containing calcium and phosphate,a hydrothermal treatment enabled secondary microporous hydroxyapatite(HA)coating,and a further bone morphogenetic protein-2(BMP-2)loading treatment through immersion and freeze-drying.The treatment led to an orderly secondary microporous coating containing HA nano-particles and evenly distributed BMP-2 in the porous coatings.As a result,osteoblasts could adhere and grow well on the coatings with a high cell adhesion rate and cell functional activity.The in-situ shear testing indicated that the interfacial strength had been enhanced significantly.Improvement of the bond formation and osseointegration with the titanium implant is attributed to increased surface area for the cell to attach,creating voids for the cell to grow in,and activating titanium surface by introducing bioactive ingredients such as HA and BMP-2.

Hot deformation behavior and process parameters optimization of Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy using constitutive modeling and 3D processing map

The isothermal compression test for Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was conducted by using Gleeble-3800 thermal simulator.The hot deformation behavior of Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was investigated in the deformation temperature ranges of 940-1030℃and the strain rate ranges of 0.001-10 s^(-1).Meanwhile,the activation energy of thermal deformation was computed.The results show that the flow stress of Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy increases with increasing the strain rate and decreasing the deformation temperature.The activation energy of thermal deformation for Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy is much greater than that for self-diffusion ofα-Ti andβ-Ti.Considering the influence of strain on flow stress,the strain-compensated Arrhenius constitutive model of Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was established.The error analysis shows that the model has higher accuracy,and the correlation coefficient r and average absolute relative error are 0.9879 and 4.11%,respectively.The processing map(PM)of Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was constructed by the dynamic materials model and Prasad instability criterion.According to PM and microstructural observation,it is found that the main form of instability zone is local flow,and the deformation mechanisms of the stable zone are mainly superplasticity and dynamic recrystallization.The optimal processing parameters of Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy are determined as follows:960-995℃/0.01-0.18 s^(-1)and 1000-1030℃/0.001-0.01 s^(-1).

Effects of Nb content in Ti–Ni–Nb brazing alloys on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–22Al–25Nb alloy brazed joints

Vacuum brazing was successfully used to join Ti-22Al-25Nb alloy using Ti-Ni-Nb brazing alloys prepared by arc-melting. The influence of Nb content in the Ti-Ni-Nb brazing alloys on the interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of the brazed joints was investigated. The results showed that the interfacial microstructure of brazed joint consisted of B2, O, ？3, and Ti2 Ni phase, while the width of brazing seams varied at different Nb contents. The room temperature shear strength reached359 MPa when the joints were brazed with eutectic Ti40Ni40Nb20 alloy at 1180？C for 20 min, and it was321, 308 and 256 MPa at 500, 650 and 800？C, respectively. Cracks primarily initiated and propagated in ？3compounds, and partially traversed B2＋O region. Moreover, the fracture surface displayed typical ductile dimples when cracks propagated through B2＋O region, which was favorable for the mechanical properties of the brazed joint.

Quantitative analysis on microstructure evolution of Ti-6Al-2Zr-2Sn-2Mo-1.5Cr-2Nb alloy during isothermal compression

Isothermal compression tests of Ti-6Al-2Zr-2Sn-2Mo-1.5Cr-2Nb alloy were conducted at a Gleeble-1500 simulator in deformation temperature range of 1103–1243K, strain rate range of 0.01–5.00 s-1and height reduction range of 50 %–70 %. The effects of processing parameters on morphology, grain size and contents of a and b phases were discussed based on the quantitative microstructure examination, and the detailed explanation was shown. The results show that b transformed matrix will obviously grow up at higher deformation temperature or lower strain rate because of low grain growth activation energies. The content of a phase will decrease at higher deformation temperature or higher strain rate due to the phase transformation. Some elongated a or b grains exist at higher strain rate, implying that the dominant softening mechanism is dynamic recovery. The effect of height reduction on b transformed matrix is negligible, but the height reduction has some effects on the morphology of primary a phase.

Mechanism and morphology evolution of the O phase transformation in Ti-22Al-25Nb alloy

The phase transformation and microstructure in Ti-22Al-25Nb alloy are extremely complex.In this work,the morphology evolution of the O phase during the heating and cooling process was investigated by electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)and first-principles calculations.The results show that the O→α_(2)phase transformation process during the heating process is as follows:spheroidization of the O phase occurs first,then theα_(2)phase nucleates in the spheroidized O phase,grows and replaces the O phase,completing the O→α_(2)phase transformation.In the meanwhile,the diffusion of Nb from Nb-poor O to Nb-rich B2 phases is a back-diffusion process.According to first-principles calculations,the driving force of the O→α_(2)phase transformation is the difference in the free energies of formation for the two phases(0.09 eV/atom).When the Nb content is greater than 15.625%,the lattice distortion of theα_(2)phase sharply increases,and the distortion energy drives the back-diffusion of Nb.During the cooling process,theα_(2)→O phase transformation is difficult and slow due to the difficult diffusion of Nb from the B2 toα_(2)phases.When holding for 60 min at 960℃,the coarseα_(2)phase gradually transforms to the O phase from the margin to the inside,forming a dispersed mixed structure of the O andα_(2)phases.During the B2→O transformation,the nucleation of the O phase induces a high stress region,in the range of approximately 200 nm.

Microstructures, mechanical properties, and grease-lubricated sliding wear behavior of Cu–15Ni–8Sn–0.8Nb alloy with high strength and toughness

Alloys used as bearings in aircraft landing gear are required to reduce friction and wear as well as improve the load‐carrying capability due to the increased aircraft weights.Cu–15Ni–8Sn–0.8Nb alloy is well known for possessing good mechanical and wear properties that satisfy such requirements.In this study,the microstructure,mechanical properties,and grease‐lubricated sliding wear behavior of Cu–15Ni–8Sn–0.8Nb alloy with 0.8 wt%Nb are investigated.The nanoscale NbNi3 and NbNi2Sn compounds can strengthen the alloy through the Orowan strengthening mechanism.A Stribeck‐like curve is plotted to illustrate the relationship among friction coefficient,normal load,and sliding velocity and to analyze the grease‐lubricated mechanism.The wear rate increases with normal load and decreases with sliding velocity,except at 2.58 m/s.A wear mechanism map has been developed to exhibit the dominant wear mechanisms under various friction conditions.When the normal load is 700 N and the sliding velocity is 2.58 m/s,a chemical reaction between the lubricating grease and friction pairs occurs,resulting in the failure of lubricating grease and an increase in wear.

Accelerated fracture healing by osteogenic Ti45Nb implants through the PI3K–Akt signaling pathway

The key to managing fracture is to achieve stable internal fixation,and currently,biologically and mechanically appropriate internal fixation devices are urgently needed.With excellent biocompatibility and corrosion resistance,titanium–niobium alloys have the potential to become a new generation of internal fixation materials for fractures.However,the role and mechanism of titanium–niobium alloys on promoting fracture healing are still undefined.Therefore,in this study,we systematically evaluated the bone-enabling properties of Ti45Nb via in vivo and in vitro experiments.In vitro,we found that Ti45Nb has an excellent ability to promote MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion and proliferation without obvious cytotoxicity.Alkaline phosphatase(ALP)activity and alizarin red staining and semiquantitative analysis showed that Ti45Nb enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells compared to the Ti6Al4V control.In the polymerase chain reaction experiment,the expression of osteogenic genes in the Ti45Nb group,such as ALP,osteopontin(OPN),osteocalcin(OCN),type 1 collagen(Col-1)and runt-related transcription factor-2(Runx2),was significantly higher than that in the control group.Meanwhile,in the western blot experiment,the expression of osteogenic-related proteins in the Ti45Nb group was significantly increased,and the expression of PI3K–Akt-related proteins was also higher,which indicated that Ti45Nb might promote fracture healing by activating the PI3K–Akt signaling pathway.In vivo,we found that Ti45Nb implants accelerated fracture healing compared to Ti6Al4V,and the biosafety of Ti45Nb was confirmed by histological evaluation.Furthermore,immunohistochemical staining confirmed that Ti45Nb may promote osteogenesis by upregulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.Our study demonstrated that Ti45Nb exerts an excellent ability to promote fracture healing as well as enhance osteoblast differentiation by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,and its good biosafety has been confirmed,which indicates its clinical translation potential.

Microstructure Design and Heat Response of Powder Metallurgy Ti_2AlNb Alloys

Pre-alloyed powder of Ti-22Al-24Nb-0.5Mo（atomic fraction,%） was prepared by gas atomization.Powder metallurgy（PM） Ti 2AlNb alloys were prepared by a hot isostatic pressing（HIPing） route.The influence of experimental variables including HIPing temperatures,solution and aging temperatures on microstructure and properties of PM Ti 2AlNb alloys was studied.The results showed that HIPing temperature affected the porosity distribution and mechanical properties of PM Ti 2AlNb alloys.The microstructure and mechanical properties of the PM Ti 2AlNb alloys changed obviously after various post heat treatments,and a good combination of tensile strength,ductility and rupture lifetime was obtained through an optimized heat treatment in the present work.

EFFECTS OF Nb/Ti+ Nb MICRO ALLOYING ON 900℃ TENSILE PROPERTIES OF ALLOYGH652

Theeffectsof Nband Ti+ Nb microalloyingon mechanicalpropertiesand rupturelifeunder900 ℃ tensiletest on alloy GH652 were studied. Among theoriginalalloy GH652 and its Nb/ Ti+ Nb microalloyed alloys, the Ti+ Nb microalloyed alloy exhibited optimum com bined900℃ tensilestrength and plasticity and longer 900℃ 49 MPa prolonged tensile rup turelife as well. The role of refractory alloying elementscould be effectively brought intoplay with highertemperaturesolution treatment. Coordination strengthening of Matrix andgrain boundary wasthekeyfactoroflifetimeextension andthe mobilityof dislocationsinthematrix wasresponsableforthe plasticity ofthe micro alloyedsamples.

Effect of Pre-strain on the Transformation and Recovery Behaviours of a Ti_(44)Ni_(47)Nb_9 Shape Memory Alloy

The recovery strain, stress and transformation temperature of different pre-strained specimens of Ti44Ni47Nb9 were investigated by tensile test and electrical resistance measurement. The results indicated that pre-strain increases the reverse martensitic transformation temperature (As) and hysteresis (As-Ms). The recovery strain and stress are higher if the specimens are pre-strained between Ms and As temperature than outside this temperature range. There exists an optimal pre-strain value, about 10%, at which the specimen exhibits maximum recovery strain and stress.

Effect of Nb and alloying elements on interface reaction between high Nb-containing TiAl alloys and ZrO_2-based ceramic moulds

In the present study, Ti-45Al-(6, 7, 8)Nb(at%) and Ti-45Al-8Nb-0.5(Mn, Si, Y, B) alloys were prepared by arc melting and casting into Zr O2(Y2O3 stabilized) ceramic moulds to study the effect of alloying elements Nb and Mn, Si, Y, B on the interfacial reaction between casting Ti Al alloys and ceramic moulds by SEM, and the elements' distribution in the interface reaction layer by line scanning. The results showed that with an increase in Nb content, the interfacial reaction weakened and the thickness of the reaction layer decreased gradually. The interface reaction thickness of the alloys with Nb content of 6, 7, 8at% were 60, 34 and 26 μm, respectively. Clearly, the addition of 8at% Nb to Ti-45 Al is the best for the thickness of the reaction layer. The addition of Nb would form a Nb-rich film in the reaction layer, which could reduce the solubility of oxygen in the interface, and suppress further diffusion of oxygen to the matrix. If the same content of Mn, Si, Y, or B alloying elements were added respectively to Ti-45Al-8Nb, the thickness of the interface reaction layer from large to small was as follows: Mn>Si>Y>B. The interface reaction thickness increased after 0.5at% Mn added, had no obvious change after 0.5at% Si addition, and decreased after adding 0.5at% Y or B. The introduced elements, which formed a protective film or/and promoted the formation of a dense aluminum oxide layer, would be of benefit to the resistance of interfacial reaction.

Thermodynamic Analysis on Relation Between T_0 and σ_M in a Ti_(44)Ni_(47)Nb_9 Shape Memory Alloy

The effect of heat treatment on martensitic transformation behavior has been investigated in Ti44Ni47Nb9 alloy. The relation between transformation temperatures and critical stress of stress induced martensitic transformation is interpreted in terms of thermodynamic theory. It is shown that the decrease in transformation temperature in specimens of slow cooling rate or low temperature aging after solution heat treatment results from the changes of Ni/Ti ratio in the matrix. The increase of critical stress of stress induced martensitic transformation is a consequence of the decrease of transformation temperatures.

Effect of the Partial Substitution of V for Nb on the Magnetic Properties of Fe-based Nanocrystalline Alloy

The variation of the magnetic properties of the nanocrystalline alloys for the partial substitution of V for Nb with crystallizing treatment temperature and time was investigated. The variation law of the magnetic properties with the annealing temperature and time is essentially the same. The magnetic properties of the Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys for the partial substitution of V for Nb reduce, and the crystallizing treatment temperature of the alloys increases. The optimum properties of Fe74Cu1Nb3Si13B9 nanocrystalline alloys crystallized at 550℃x60 min are μ0=9.2xl0^4, μm=54.8xl0^4, Hc=1.14 A/m and Bs=1.26 T. The best properties for Fe74Cu1Nb3Si13B9 alloys annealed at 560℃x60 min are μ0=8.79x10^4, μm=50.18xl0^4, Hc=1.26 A/m and Bs=1.24 T.