Microstructural evolution and ductility improvement of a Ti–30Nb alloy with Pd addition

Small amount of Pd addition to β-type Ti–Nb-based alloys can stabilize the β-phase and suppress the coarsening of brittle ω particles in as-cast states and the formation of dendritic structure in a Ti–30Nb (wt.%) alloy, resulting in a room temperature ductility improvement. The as-cast Ti–30Nb (wt.%) alloy fractured in a brittle manner due to the ω precipitation with a large size more than 50 nm; while the as-cast Ti–30Nb–3Pd alloy exhibited large tensile elongation (34%) and could be cold-rolled directly at room temperature.