The accelerated globularization kinetics of titanium alloys with lamellar microstructure: a brief review

Titanium alloy, as an essential structural material, has gained significant attention across a multitude of applications owing to its exceptional overall performance. To obtain desirable mechanical performance, titanium alloys with lamellar microstructure through multi-step thermomechanical processing are indispensable for acquiring the globular morphology providing the balance between strength and ductility. Although the sluggish globularization process emerges as a critical challenge in recent overview, less related reviews aiming at rapid globularization kinetics has been reported. This paper reviews the novel methods of accelerating globularization kinetics including strain path changes, the addition of second-phase particles, and in situ globularization of advanced technology. In addition, the in-depth reasons such as the crystallographic and geometrical orientation of α phase, deviation angle from Burgers orientation relationship (BOR), slip systems of α phase, and co-evolution of α phase and β phase are exactly investigated. Furthermore, the simulation of globularization behavior is also summarized. Finally, the outlook and conclusion are provided to help point out the innovative directions for accelerating globularization kinetics.