Effect of alloying time and composition on the mechanical properties of Ti alloy

Titanium and its alloys find wide applicability in aerospace and medicine. The key restricting factor in using the Ti-based alloys is the difficulties associated with the processing of the alloy as they are forged at temperatures >800 °C. In the current work, Ti was mechanically alloyed in a tumbler mixer with Al, Fe and Zr with a charge to ball ratio of 1:2. The mechanical properties such as tensile and compression strengths and the hardness profile were evaluated as per the ASTM/MPIF standards. SEM analysis of the fracture surfaces indicated that samples sintered in vacuum exhibited brittle failure while those sintered in argon exhibited ductile-brittle failure. The tensile strengths ranged from 300 to 850 MPa for the samples tested. The alloying time affects the fracture mode and the strength of the alloy. Strain in excess of 20% was obtainable during upsetting samples alloyed for 48 h which is comparable to the conventional Ti-6Al-4V alloy.