High strength beta titanium alloys: New design approach

A novel approach for development of high strength and ductile beta titanium alloys was proposed and successfully applied. The microstructure of the designed alloys is fully composed of a bcc β-Ti phase exhibiting dendritic morphology. The new Ti68.8Nb13.6Cr5.1Co6Al6.5 (at%) alloy (BETAtough alloy) exhibits a maximum tensile strength of 1290±50 MPa along with 21±3% of fracture strain. The specific energy absorption value upon mechanical deformation of the BETAtough alloy exceeds that of Ti-based metallic glass composites and commercial high strength Ti-based alloys. The deformation behavior of the new alloys was correlated with their microstructure by means of in-situ studies of the microstructure evolution upon tensile loading in a scanning electron microscope.