Stress-induced phase transformation and room temperature aging in Ti-Nb-Fe alloys

Room temperature deformation behavior of Ti-17Nb-1Fe and Ti-17Nb-2Fe alloys was studied by synchrotron X-ray diffraction and tensile testing. It was found that, after proper heat treatment, both alloys were able to recover a deformation strain of above 3.5% due to the Stress-induced Martensite (SIM) phase transformation. Higher Fe content increased the beta phase stability and onset stress for SIM transformation. A strong {110}β texture was produced in Ti-17Nb-2Fe compared to the {210}β texture that was observed in Ti-17Nb-1Fe. Room temperature aging was observed in both alloys, where the formation of the omega phase increased the yield strength (also SIM onset stress), and decreased the ductility and strain recovery. Other metastable beta Ti alloys may show a similar aging response and this should draw the attention of materials design engineers.