Three-dimensional analysis of microstructures in titanium

Samples of Ti–4.3Fe–6.7Mo–1.5Al were isothermally annealed in the temperature range of 730–780 °C for various times to study the β–α transformation. Serial sectioning in conjunction with both optical and EBSD analyses was applied to determine the three-dimensional (3-D) morphologies of primary α phase. The 3-D analysis proved to be essential for characterization of the complex morphologies of α grains and consequently for the identification of growth behavior. It showed that nucleation of α grains takes place at β–β grain boundaries and significant branching takes place after initial growth of α grains along β–β grain boundaries. Some branches grow inside the β grain interior. The branching behavior is shown to interact with β–β grain boundaries, leading to a zig-zag morphology. The presented 3-D analysis of α grains and their influence on β–β grain boundaries clearly show that 2-D observations of the microstructural morphologies are not sufficient to adequately represent the transformation characteristics.