Positron Annihilation Studies of Defects in Ti-6Al-4 V Subjected to Heat Treatments and Rolling

Positron lifetime and coincidence Doppler broadening (CDBS) measurements were made on samples of Ti-6Al-4 V alloy subjected to different mechanical and thermal treatments. The results indicated the presence of point defects in moderate concentrations. The as-received sample was initially heat treated at 1343K for 30 minutes and slow-cooled to extract reference values. Even when subjected to heat treatment at 1343K and fast-quenched, the inherent defect structures did not show substantial reconfiguration in size or concentration. Yet in a separate case of heat treatment at the same temperature and duration followed by hot-rolling to 50% deformation, the deformation-induced defects were found retained in it on quenching. Soaking at the elevated temperature did not produce any significant difference. In another sample, when cold-rolling was performed after heat-treatment and fast-quenching, we found the retention followed by room-temperature migration and coalescence of the generated defects with the existing ones. The measured positron lifetimes suggested the existence of defects of smaller sizes and/or dislocations. In another sample of the alloy with identical treatments at 1248K (below the α to β transition), the positron lifetimes were slightly larger in magnitude.