Microstructural effects on the mechanical behavior of B-modified Ti–6Al–4V alloys

Small additions of B (⩽0.4 wt.%) to Ti alloys refine the as-cast microstructure significantly and improve the alloys’ mechanical performance. In this work, tensile, fracture and fatigue properties of the as-cast and hot isostatically pressed Ti–6Al–4V alloy with 0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.40 wt.% B additions have been examined, with particular emphasis on identifying the microstructural length scale (grain size vs. lath size) that controls the mechanical properties of these alloys. Microstructural observations indicate an order of magnitude reduction in the prior β grain size, d, as well as a significant reduction in the α lath size, λ, with B additions. It was observed that d and λ are correlated. With the refinement in the microstructure, the yield and ultimate tensile strengths, σy and σu respectively, increase whereas the fracture toughness, KIC, decreases. Application of the Rice–Knott–Ritchie model for quasi-brittle cleavage fracture indicates that the reduction in KIC with increasing B content is due primarily to the reduced λ  . Fatigue crack growth measurements show a gradual reduction in the threshold for fatigue crack propagation with σyλ dependence.