Effect of initial microstructure and further thermomechanical processing on microstructural evolution in a Ti–47Al–2Cr alloy

In this paper, the development of microstructure in a chromium alloyed gamma alloy has been investigated. Wedge shaped specimens of a Ti–47Al–2Cr alloy with various starting microstructures, including lamellar, duplex and feathery structures, were subjected to isothermal hot forging. Microstructural and process variables that influence the resulting deformed microstructure were elucidated. The results indicated that in the case of initial feathery structure, the hot forging at 1050 °C leads to a very fine-grained structure with homogenous grain size distribution. Such a microstructure could not be achieved in the samples with the lamellar or duplex structures due to the anisotropic flow behavior of the starting structures.