Effects of Microstructure on the Mechanical Properties and Elastic Modulus of Ti-6Al-3Nb-2Zr-1Mo-0.4B Titanium Alloys
摘要
To elucidate the effect of microstructure on the mechanical properties and elastic modulus of Ti-6Al-3Nb-2Zr-1Mo-0.4B (TA31-0.4B) titanium alloy, the alloy was prepared via vacuum arc melting. Four typical microstructures, namely equiaxed, duplex, basket-weave, and Widmanstätten morphologies, were obtained through different forging processes. Results showed that block- and rod-like TiB phases with comparable size and morphology were uniformly dispersed across all microstructures. For the TA31-0.4B alloy, TiB phases exerted a negligible influence on the mechanical properties of the equiaxed, duplex, and basket-weave microstructures; in contrast, their presence at the β grain boundaries of the Widmanstätten microstructure remarkably deteriorated mechanical performance. Moreover, the alloy’s elastic modulus exhibited a slight decreasing trend in the sequence of equiaxed → duplex → basket-weave → Widmanstätten microstructures, attributed to the gradual reduction in α-phase volume fraction. Owing to the same content, size, and morphology of TiB phases across different microstructures, their impact on the alloy’s elastic modulus remained similar regardless of microstructure type. Notably, the basket-weave structured TA31-0.4B alloy achieved a balanced combination of properties, with a yield strength (YS) of 917 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 977 MPa, elastic modulus of 125.0 GPa, uniform elongation (UE) of 15.2%, reduction of area (RA) of 45.0%, and impact toughness of 61 J.