Oto Bajana

Effect of Al2O3 particles on mechanical properties of directionally solidified intermetallic Ti-46Al-2W-0.5Si alloy

Abstract The effect of Al2O3 particles on microhardness and room-temperature compression properties of directionally solidified (DS) intermetallic Ti–46Al–2W–0.5Si (at.%) alloy was studied. The ingots with various volume fractions of Al2O3 particles and mean α2–α2 interlamellar spacings were prepared by directional solidification at constant growth rates ranging from 2.78×10−6 to 1.18×10−4 ms−1 in alumina moulds. The ingots with constant volume fraction of Al2O3 particles and various mean interlamellar spacings were prepared by directional solidification at a growth rate of 1.18×10−4 ms−1 and subsequent solution annealing followed by cooling at constant rates v varying between 0.078 and 1.889 K s−1. The mean α2–α2 interlamellar spacing λ for both DS and heat-treated (HT) ingots decreased with increasing cooling rate according to the relationship λ∝ ν −0.46. In DS ingots, microhardness, ultimate compression strength, yield strength and plastic deformation to fracture increased with increasing cooling rate. In HT ingots, microhardness and yield strength increased and ultimate compression strength and plastic deformation to fracture decreased with increasing cooling rate. The yield stress increased with decreasing interlamellar spacing and increasing volume fraction of Al2O3 particles. A linear relationship between the Vickers microhardness and yield stress was found for both DS and HT ingots. A simple model including the effect of interlamellar spacing and increasing volume fraction of Al2O3 particles was proposed for the prediction of the yield stress.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a directionally solidified and aged intermetallic Ni–Al–Cr–Ti alloy with β-γ′-γ-α structure

Abstract Microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated in a directionally solidified (DS) Ni–21.7Al–7.5Cr–6.5Ti (at.%) alloy. The dendrites of the as-grown alloy were composed of β(B2)-matrix (NiAl), coarse γ′( L 1 2 )-particles (Ni 3 Al), fine γ′-needles and spherical α(A2)-precipitates (Cr-based solid solution). The majority of fine γ′-precipitates was found to be twinned. The interdendritic region contained γ(A1)-matrix (Ni-based solid solution) separating ordered domains of γ′-phase and fine lath-shaped α-precipitates. Ageing in the temperature range 973–1373 K decreased the volume fraction of dendrites from about 50 vol.% measured in the as-grown material to about 38 vol.% in the material aged at 1373 K for 300 h. During ageing in the temperature range 973–1273 K the γ-phase transformed to the γ′-phase in the interdendritic region. This transformation was connected with precipitation of lath-shaped α-precipitates. Ageing at higher temperatures of 1373 and 1473 K resulted in stabilisation of the γ-phase and precipitation of spherical γ′-particles in the interdendritic region. Ageing at 973 K significantly increased the microhardness, hardness and decreased room-temperature tensile ductility. Neither ageing nor finer dendritic microstructure were found to be effective in increasing the ductility of the alloy. The measured tensile ductility up to 1.1% can be attributed to the effect of extrinsic toughening mechanisms operating in the β-phase such as blunting and bridging of cracks by the α- and γ′-precipitates.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Cast Intermetallic Ti-46Al-8Ta Alloy

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a new cast air-hardenable intermetallic Ti-46Al-8Ta (at.%) alloy are studied. Primary solidification phase, solidification path and high temperature phase equilibria are determined using quenching during directional solidification (QDS) experiments combined with microstructural analysis. Vickers hardness, tensile, compression and creep properties are presented. The effect of short-term high temperature exposure on room temperature (RT) ductility of uncoated specimens is evaluated and discussed. Creep properties such as minimum creep rate, time to 1 % creep deformation, fracture time and creep fracture mechanisms are presented and compared to other TiAl base alloys developed for industrial applications. Long-term high temperature microstructural stability and the effect of ageing on Vickers hardness and RT tensile properties are presented. Based on the achieved experimental results, the potential of this new alloy to fulfill industrial specifications is discussed.

Bioactive Ti + Mg composites fabricated by powder metallurgy: The relation between the microstructure and mechanical properties

Metallic implant materials are biomaterials that have experienced major development over the last fifty years, yet some demands posed to them have not been addressed. For the osseointegration process and the outcome of endosseous implantation, it is crucial to reduce the stress shielding effect and achieve sufficient biocompatibility. Powder metallurgy (PM) was utilized in this study to fabricate a new type of titanium (Ti) + magnesium (Mg) bioactive composite to enable stress-shielding reduction and obtain better biocompatibility compared with that of the traditional Ti and Ti alloys used for dental implants. Such composites are produced by well-known cost-effective and widely used PM methods, which eliminate the need for complex and costly Ti casting used in traditional implant production. The relation between the microstructure and mechanical properties of as-extruded Ti + (0-24) vol% Mg composites was investigated with respect to the Mg content. The microstructure of the composites consisted of a biodegradable Mg component in the form of filaments, elongated along the direction of extrusion, which were embedded within a permanent, bioinert Ti matrix. As the Mg content was increased, the discrete filaments became interconnected with each other and formed a continuous Mg network. Youngs modulus (E) of the composites was reduced to 81 GPa, while other tensile mechanical properties were maintained at the values required for a dental implant material. The corrosion behavior of the Ti + Mg composites was studied during immersion in a Hanks balanced salt solution (HBSS) for up to 21 days. The elution of Mg pores formed at former Mg sites led to a further decrease of E to 74 GPa. The studied compositions showed that a new Ti + Mg metallic composite should be promising for load-bearing applications in endosseous dental implants in the future.

Warm Pressing of Al Powders: An Alternative Consolidation Approach

This paper presents the warm pressing as an alternative powder metallurgy approach to conventional press-and-sinter or hot working (e.g., extrusion, forging) consolidations of Al powders into complex near-net-shape parts with required mechanical properties. In this study gas-atomized Al powders (A1050 and A6061) with various particle sizes were consolidated by uniaxial pressing, with minimum plastic deformation induced, at temperatures of 22 and 430 °C, respectively. The materials pressed at 22 °C showed poor strengths, ductility and electrical conductivity. The properties were improved markedly when pressing temperature increased to 430 °C and reached values comparable to A1050 and A6061 materials fabricated by conventional powder and ingot metallurgy approach. Similarly, the properties of the materials pressed at 22 °C were improved after annealing at 300 °C for 2 h. This indicated the formation of sufficiently strong interfacial bonding between native oxide layers on adjacent Al powder particles (i.e., grains) when processing temperature increased to 300 °C. With interfacial bonding established, the fracture mechanism changed from brittle to ductile character.