Effect of heat treatment and thermomechanical processing on microstructure and tensile property of Ti-44Al-8Nb-0.2W-0.2B-0.5Y alloy

High Nb-TiAl (Ti-44Al-8Nb-0.2W-0.2B-0.5Y,at.%) ingot was fabricated by vacuum arc remelting (VAR).The as-cast ingot was hot-isostatic pressed (HIP) and homogenizing annealing processed.The influence of heat treatment temperature and thermomechanical processing on the microstructure and tensile property of the alloy was investigated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD),scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile tests.It was found that the high Nb-TiAl alloy after HIP and annealing was mainly composed of coarse α2/γ lamellae,β/B2 phase and γ phase and the solidification path of this alloy was:L→L+β→β→α+β→α→α+β+γ→α2+β+γ.The water quenching results showed that the alloy was in α single phase region at 1,340 °C.After heating at 1,340 °C for 30 min followed by furnace cooling,the alloy showed a full lamellar microstructure and its ultimate tensile strength was about 538 MPa,with an elongation of 0.3% at room temperature.Free-crack forged pancakes with fine-grained fully lamellar structure (FFLS) were obtained with an initial deformation temperature of 1,340 °C and the ultimate tensile strength of forged alloy was about 820 MPa,with an elongation of 0.9% at room temperature,which was much higher than that of alloy after HIP and annealing because of microstructural refinement.

Effect of spark plasma sintering temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of melt-spun TiAl alloys

A TiAl alloy from pulverized rapidly solidified ribbons with the composition of Ti-46Al-2Cr-4Nb-0.3Y（mole fraction,%） was processed by spark plasma sintering（SPS）.The effects of sintering temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties were studied.The results show that the microstructure and phase constitution vary with sintering temperature.Sintering the milled powders at 1200 ℃ produces fully dense compact.Higher sintering temperature does not improve the densification evidently.The dominant phases are γ and α2 in the bulk alloys sintered at 1200 ℃.With higher sintering temperature,the fraction of α2 phase decreases and the microstructure changes from equiaxed near γ grain to near lamellar structure,together with a slight coarsening.The bulk alloy sintered at 1260 ℃ with refined and homogeneous near lamellar structure reveals the best overall mechanical properties.The compressional fracture stress and compression ratio are 2984 MPa and 41.5%,respectively,at room temperature.The tensile fracture stress and ductility are 527.5 MPa and 5.9%,respectively,at 800 ℃.

Microstructure Characteristics and Elevated Temperature Mechanical Properties of a B Containedβ-solidifiedγ-TiAl Alloy

The improved microstructure and enhanced elevated temperature mechanical properties of Ti-44Al-5Nb-(Mo,V,B)alloys were obtained by vacuum arc re-melting(VAR)and primary annealing heat treatment(HT)of 1260℃/6 h/Furnace cooling(FC).The phase transformation,microstructure evolution and tensile properties for as-cast and HTed alloys were investigated.Results indicate that three main phase transformation points are determined,T_(eut)=1164.3℃,T_(γsolv)=1268.3℃and T_(βtrans)=1382.8℃.There are coarse lamellar colonies(300μm in length)and neighbor reticular B2 andγgrain(3-5μm)in as-cast alloy,while lamellar colonies are markedly refined and multi-oriented(20-50μm)as well as the volume fraction and grain sizes of equiaxedγand B2 phases(about 15μm)significantly increase in as-HTed alloy.Phase transformations involvingα+γ→α+γ+β/B2 and discontinuousγcoarsening contribute to the above characteristics.Borides(1-3μm)act as nucleation sites forβ_(eutectic) and produce massiveβgrains with different orientations,thus effectively refining the lamellar colonies and forming homogeneous multi-phase microstructure.Tensile curves show both the alloys exhibit suitable performance at 800℃.As-cast alloy shows a higher ultimate tensile stress of 647 MPa,while a better total elongation of more than 41%is obtained for as-HTed alloy.The mechanical properties improvement is mainly attributed to fine,multi-oriented lamellar colonies,coordinated deformation of homogeneous multi-phase microstructure and borides within lamellar interface preventing crack propagation.

Effects of annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of γ-TiAl alloy fabricated via laser melting deposition

The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the as-deposited γ-TiAl-based alloy specimen fabricated via laser melting deposition and as-annealed specimens at different temperatures were investigated.The results show that the microstructure of as-deposited specimen is composed of fineα2(Ti3Al)+γlamellae.With the increase of annealing temperature,the bulk γ m(TiAl)phase gradually changes from single γ phase toγphase+acicularα2 phase,finally small γ phase+lamellar α2+γ phase.Compared with the mechanical properties of as-depositedγ-TiAl alloy(tensile strength 469 MPa,elongation 1.1%),after annealing at 1260℃ for 30 min followed by furnace cooling(FC),the room-temperature tensile strength of the specimen is 543.4 MPa and the elongation is 3.7%,which are obviously improved.

Influence of Mo content on microstructure and mechanical properties of β-containing TiAl alloy

The influence of Mo content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Ti?45Al?5Nb?xMo?0.3Y(x=0.6,0.8,1.0,1.2)alloys was studied using small ingots produced by non-consumable electrode argon arc melting.The results show that smallquantities ofβphase are distributed alongγ/α2lamellar colony boundaries as discontinuous network in the TiAl alloys owing to thesegregation of Mo element.Theγphase forms in the interdentritic microsegregation area when the Mo addition exceeds0.8%.Theβandγphases can be eliminated effectively by subsequent homogenization heat treatment at the temperature above Tα.The evolutionof the strength,microhardness and ductility at different Mo contents under as-cast and as-homogenization treated conditions wasanalyzed,indicating that excessive Mo addition is prone to cause the microsegregation,thus decreasing the strength andmicrohardness obviously,which can be improved effectively by subsequent homogenization heat treatment.

A high-Nb TiAl alloy with highly refined microstructure and excellent mechanical properties fabricated by electromagnetic continuous casting

In the present research, microstructure refinement of a high-Nb TiAl alloy （Ti-48Al-8Nb-0.15B） was realized by means of the electromagnetic continuous casting （EMCC） technique. The microstructure of an ingot obtained by EMCC was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. As compared with the raw as-cast alloy, the obtained EMCC alloy presented a much finer microstructure with lamellar colonies with a mean size of about 50-70 μm because the electromagnetic stirring broke initial dendrites and enhanced the heterogeneous nucleation. As the grains were refined, the properties of the TiAl alloy were improved significantly. This implies that the EMCC technique could offer the possibility of application for high-Nb TiAl alloys with a refined microstructure and excellent properties to be used as a structural material.

Effect of Zr on microstructure and mechanical properties of binary TiAl alloys

Ti43Al and Ti47Al alloys with different contents of zirconium were prepared by non-consumable vacuum arc melting furnace.The microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated.The results showed that Zr had no obvious effect on microstructure morphology of Ti43Al,while that of Ti47Al was modified from dendrites into equiaxed grains.The addition of Zr could refine the grains.Zr promoted the formation ofγphase significantly and the solubility values of Zr inγphase were 12.0%and 5.0%(molar fraction)in Ti43Al and Ti47Al,respectively.Zr-richγphase mainly formed throughβ→γin Ti43Al-xZr(molar fraction,%)andβ→α→γin Ti47Al-xZr(molar fraction,%).Fine-grain strengthening and solution strengthening were beneficial to improving the compressive strength while severe micro-segregation was detrimental to compressive properties.Large solubility of Zr was bad for ductility of alloys as well.The maximum compressive strengths of Ti43Al-xZr and Ti47Al-xZr were 1684.82 MPa(x=5.0%)and 2158.03 MPa(x=0.5%),respectively.The compressive strain fluctuated slightly in Ti43Al-xZr and reached the maximum value of 35.24%(x=0.5%)in Ti47Al-xZr.Both alloys showed brittle fracture.

Microstructure and tensile properties of containerless near-isothermally forged TiAl alloys

Ti-47Al-2Nb-2Cr-0.4（W, Mo） （mole fraction, %） alloy ingot fabricated using vacuum consumable melting was containerless near-isothermally forged, and the high temperature forgeability, microstructure and tensile properties were investigated. The results show that the TiAl ingot exhibits good heat workability during containerless near-isothermally forging process, and there are not evident cracks on the surface of as-forged TiAl pancake with a total deformation degree of 60%. The microstructure of the TiAl ingot appears to be typical nearly-lamellar（NL）, comprising a great amount of lamellar colonies （α2＋γ） and a few equiaxed γ grains. After near-isothermally forging, the as-forged pancake shows primarily fine equiaxed γ grains with an average grain size of 20 μm and some broken lamellar pieces, and some bent lamellas still exist in the hard-deformation zone. Tensile tests at room temperature show that ultimate tensile strength increases from 433 MPa to 573 MPa after forging due to grain refinement effect.

Effect of Microstructure on Tensile Properties of TiAl Based Alloy

The microstructure variation during heat treatment and the correlation between structure and room temperature tensile properties of TiAl based alloy were studied. The duplex structure, composed of fine lamellar colonies and equiaxial γ grains, with superior room temperatureplasticity can he obtained by heat treatment at γ+α phase zone with controlled cooling rate. It is believed that its plasticity results from fine grains and higher volume fraction of lamellar structure.

Microstructure and room temperature tensile property of as-cast Ti44Al6Nb1.0Cr2.0V alloy

The nominal Ti44Al6Nb1.0Cr2.0V alloy was newly designed and prepared by vacuum consumable melting technique with the ingot sizes of d225 mm×320 mm. The results show that the average lamella colony size is 780-1830 μm. This as-cast alloy has a modified near lamellar(M-NL) structure that is composed of mainly larger(α2+γ) lamella colonies and smaller(B2+equiaxed γ) blocky morphology. It exhibits the moderate tensile properties at room temperature, in which the Region(5) yields the ultimate tensile strength(UTS) about 499 MPa and the elongation about 0.53%. The obvious brittle fracture characteristics and trans-granular interlamellar fracture are the predominant modes. After room temperature tensile testing, there are some <101] and a few 1/2<112] superdislocations in the γ phase. The as-cast microcrack is the main factor to deteriorate the tensile property, which results in the premature fracture, poor ductility and few dislocations. The addition of Nb, Cr and V can decrease stacking fault energy(SFE) obviously, which is helpful to enhancing the ductility of the alloy.

Effect of partial recrystallization on microstructure and tensile properties of NiFeCoCrMn high-entropy alloy

To obtain a balance between strength and ductility in NiFeCoCrMn high-entropy alloy, the degree of dislocation strengthening was tuned via partial recrystallization during traditional thermomechanical processing(cold rolling and recrystallization). The tensile properties in each state were then examined. Significant improvements in uniform elongation and work hardening rate, with decrease in yield strength and ultimate tensile strength, are associated with increase in the recrystallized fraction, i.e., reductions in the degree of strain hardening. In particular, recrystallized fractions of 37% and 74% are obtained by annealing at 650 ℃ for 10 min and 15 min, respectively, which results in yield strengths of 1003 MPa and 742 MPa and uniform elongations of 4% and 24%, respectively. The strengthening is due to the unrecrystallized grains with a high density of dislocations, whereas the ductility benefits from the presence of recrystallized strain-free grains.

Effect of Zirconium on Tensile Property,Microstructure and Fracture Behaviour of Cast Ni_(3)Al Based Alloy

The effect of Zr on tensile property, microstructure and fracture behaviour of cast Ni 3Al based alloy strengthened with carbides has been studied. It was found that Zr distributes at interdendrites and grain boundaries in the form of ZrC particle and Ni 5Zr eutectic phase which can refine microstructure. Ni 5Zr phase can alleviate the crack initiation at grain boundaries and dendrite boundaries, which helps deformation to be harmonical between matrix and precipitates at elevated temperature.

Microstructure and high-temperature tensile property of TiAl alloy produced by selective electron beam melting

The microstructure and high-temperature tensile property of a Ti-47Al-2Cr-2 Nb alloy fabricated via selective electron beam melting(SEBM) with hatch spacings of 85,100,and 115 μm were systematically investigated.When the hatch spacing increased from 85 to 115 μm,the microstructure comprising the horizontal cross section changed from coarse lamellar(y/B2) colonies to an inhomogeneous structure and the grain morphology transformed from elongated grains to inhomogeneous and equiaxed grains along the building direction of the vertical cross section.The boundary population of the SEBMproduced TiAl alloy samples was dominated by high-angle grain boundaries(≥ 15°),and the volume fraction of these boundaries decreased with hatch spacing increasing.Additionally,the as-built TiAl alloy sample produced under a spacing of 100 μm exhibited the highest room-and elevated-temperature tensile strengths,with the ultimate tensile strength at room temperature(642 MPa) increasing to 674 MPa at 700 ℃.Furthermore,the mechanism of anomalous strengthening at 700 ℃ was discussed in detail.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and tensile properties of A356 alloys

Two heat treatments of A356 alloys with combined addition of rare earth and strontium were conducted.T6 treatment is a long time treatment（solution at 535 ℃ for 4 h ＋ aging at 150 ℃ for 15 h）.The other treatment is a short time treatment（solution at 550 ℃ for 2 h ＋ aging at 170 ℃ for 2 h）.The effects of heat treatment on microstructure and tensile properties of the Al-7%Si-0.3%Mg alloys were investigated by optical microscopy,scanning electronic microscopy and tension test.It is found that a 2 h solution at 550 ℃ is sufficient to make homogenization and saturation of magnesium and silicon in α（Al） phase,spheroid of eutectic Si phase.Followed by solution,a 2 h artificial aging at 170 ℃ is almost enough to produce hardening precipitates.Those samples treated with T6 achieve the maximum tensile strength and fracture elongation.With short time treatment（ST）,samples can reach 90% of the maximum yield strength,95% of the maximum strength,and 80% of the maximum elongation.

Effect of Yttrium Addition on Microstructures and Room Temperature Tensile Properties of Ti-47Al Alloy

The microstructures and room temperature tensile properties of a series of Ti-47Al-xY （x = 0%, 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%, 0.7% and 1.0%（atom fraction）） were investigated systemically. Results show that both the grain size and lamellar spacing decrease remarkably with the increase of Y content. When the content of Y is greater than 0.1%, most of the Y elements accumulate along the grain boundaries and some fine particles are uniformly dispersed within the grains in the form of YAl2 compound because of the low solubility and segregation of Y in TiAl alloys. Grain-boundary seg- regation of Y element is more prominent with the increase of Y addition. Good tensile properties are obtained when Y addition ranges from 0.3 % to 0.5 %. The refinement of grain and lamellar structures and dispersion of YAl2 within the grains contribute to the improvement of tensile properties. On the other hand, for high Y-added alloys （over 0.5% Y）, tensile properties are obviously deteriorated due to brittle cleavage fracture of the coarse YAl2 network.

Tensile properties and microstructure of Ti14 alloy after semi-solid forging

Tensile properties of a new α＋Ti2Cu alloy after solid forging at 950 °C and semi-solid forging at 1 000 °C and 1 050 °C were investigated over the temperature range of 20-600 °C. The results reveal that high strength and low ductility are obtained in all semi-solid forged alloys. Tensile properties decrease as the semi-solid forging temperature increases, and cleavage fractures are observed after semi-solid forging at 1 050 °C. The variations in tensile properties are attributed to the coarse microstructures obtained in the semi-solid alloys. It is found that the elevated semi-solid temperatures lead to more liquid precipitates along the prior grain boundaries, which increases the peritectic precipitation and formation of Ti2Cu precipitation zones during re-solidification. Recrystallization heat treatment leads to fine microstructure of semi-solid forged alloys, resulting in improvement of tensile properties.

Improvement of microstructure and mechanical properties of TiAl-Nb alloy by adding Fe element

In order to improve mechanical properties and optimize composition of TiAl-Nb alloys, Ti46 Al5 Nb0.1 B alloys with different contents of Fe(0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, and 1.1 at.%) were prepared by melting. Macro/microstructure and compression properties of the alloys were systematically investigated. Results show that Fe element can decrease the grain size, aggravate the Al-segregation and also form the Fe-rich B2 phase in the interdendritic area. Compressive testing results indicate that the Ti46 Al5 Nb0.1 B0.3 Fe alloy shows the highest ultimate compressive strength and fracture strain, which are 1869.5 MPa and 33.53%, respectively. The improved ultimate compression strength is ascribed to the grain refinement and solid solution strengthening of Fe, and the improved fracture strain is due to the reduced lattice tetragonality of γ phase and grain refinement of the alloys. However, excessive Fe addition decreases compressive strength and fracture strain, which is caused by the severe Al-segregation.

Strain rate sensitivity of tensile properties in high Nb containing TiAl alloys

The effect of strain rate on the yield strength of high Nb containing TiAl alloy was studied. The results show that the strain rate sensitivity varies with the test temperature, and the yield strength is not sensitive to the strain rate at room temperature but significantly sensitive to the strain rate at high temperature. An increase of the strain rate or a decrease of the temperature results in an obvious change of fracture mode. It is found that the strain rate sensitivity of this alloy varying with temperature is due to the dislocation climb generated at high temperature.

Effect of Thermal-cold Cycling Treatment on Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of 6061 Aluminum Alloy

The influence of thermal-cold cycling treatment on mechanical properties and microstructure of 6061 aluminum alloy was investigated by means of tensile test, optical microscopy(OM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The cryogenic treatment mechanism of the alloys was discussed. The results show that thermal-cold cycling treatment is beneficial since it produces a large number of dislocations and accelerates the ageing process of the alloy and yields the finer dispersed β" precipitates in the matrix. This variation of microstructural changes leads to more favorable mechanical properties than the other investigated states, while grain boundary precipitation is coarse and distributed discontinuously along grain boundaries, with a lower precipitation free zone(PEZ) on the both sides of precipitated phase. As a result, the tensile strength, elongation and conductivity of 6061 aluminum alloy after thermal-cold cycling treatment are 373.37 MPa, 17.2% and 28.2 MS/m, respectively. Compared with conventional T6 temper, the mechanical properties are improved significantly.

Effect of Sn content on microstructure and tensile properties of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn alloys

The effects of Sn content on microstructure and tensile properties of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn(wt.%)alloys were investigated by X-ray diffractometry(XRD),optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and tensile test.It is found that,as-cast Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn alloys consist ofα-Mg+β-Li duplex matrix,MgLiAl2 and Li2Mg Sn phases.Increasing Sn content leads to grain refinement ofα-Mg dendrites and increase in content of Li2MgSn phase.During hot extrusion,complete dynamic recrystallization(DRX)takes place inβ-Li phase while incomplete DRX takes place inα-Mg phase.As Sn content is increased,the volume fraction of DRXedα-Mg grains is increased and the average grain size of DRXedα-Mg grains is decreased.Increasing Sn content is beneficial to strength but harmful to ductility for as-cast Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn alloys.Tensile properties of Mg-8Li-3Al-(1,2,3)Sn alloys are improved significantly via hot extrusion and Mg-8Li-3Al-2Sn alloy exhibits the best tensile properties.