Gamma Titanium Aluminide Alloys: Alloy Design and

Properties

F. Appel

Institute for Materials Research

GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht
D-21502 Geesthacht, Germany

Berlin Oct.6, 2005

 Titanium Aluminides: General Properties

High specific
strength and moduli
offer innovative
solutions for light
weight constructions

X problems:
low-temperature
ductility and
toughness

insufficient
resistance against
creep and oxidation

T
current status
Two-Phase Titanaluminides: γ(TiAl) + α2(Ti3Al)
Atomic Structure of the Lamellar Morphology
 Ductility and Toughness

Ordered intermetallic phases with strong directional bonding

T
cleavage fracture on low index planes
Crack Propagation on {111}γ Cleavage Planes
Kinematics of Deformation

Governed by L10 structure

superdislocations difficult to
activate

preferentially glide of ordinary

dislocations b=1/2<110]

lack of independent slip systems

that can operate at given stress
Mechanical (Order) Twinning

Another distinct 1/6<11-2]

shear direction per {111}
plane

provides auxiliary slip

systems

Mitigation strategies for

overcoming brittleness
T
Twin nucleation

Association of twinning and

fracture
Mechanical (Order) Twinning in Deformed γ(TiAl)
 Alloy Design: Effect of Nb Solutes

• Nb occupies Ti Woodward et al. 1999:

sublattice with Misfitparameters for solutes on Ti sublattice
negligible size misfit

• reduce planar fault

energie

X support mechanical
twinning
(Paul et al. 1998)

• reduce diffusivities
(Herzig 2000)
Diffusion Couple: Effect of Nb Additions on Phase Evolution

X Significantly smaller width of bonding zone, activation of twinning,

less α2 phase
 Alloy Design: Effect of Ternary Metallic Additions

Ternary and quaternary

additions of

Cr, Mo (1-2) at.%

Nb (1-10) at.%

Change of phase fields

affect microstructure
upon thermo-mechanical
processing
 Advanced Alloy Systems

Ti-(40-45)Al-(5-10Nb)

Al-lean

high Nb content

subject to precipitation
hardening

Particular constitution and

microstructure

β€α€α+γ€α2+γ + β/B2, because phase transformations are sluggish

Microstructure: TNB-V21
 B19 TiAl L10 TiAl
Phase Stability Issues orthorhombic tetragonal

Yoo, 1995, Pettifor 1999:

X β/B2 phase
unstable under tetragonal distortion

transforms into

α2 + B19

prototype of B19 is Ti2AlNb, remarkable

among IMC’s for its relative ductility

Mixture of stable and metastable

phases
Laminate Microstructure TNB-V21
 Laminate
Microstructure:

Tweed lamellae
with phase discontinuity

embedded into
γ phase
TNB-V21: Phase Discontinuity in Tweed Structure α2/β
TNB-V21 Phase Discontinuity in Tweed Structure β/B19
Misfit Accommodation:

Interfacial dislocations
with projected Burgers
vector

bpr=1/3<111>

significant core
spreading

dislocations are prone

to dissociation
 Early Stage of Twin
Nucleation at Lamellar
Interfaces

Dissociation of misfit dislocation

1/3[111] → 1/6[112] + 1/6[110]

emission of intrinsic stacking fault

Heterogeneous Twin Nucleation at Interfaces
 Crack
deflection

significant
mode II
component

Crack tip
shielding
due to
mechanical
twinning
 Mechanical Properties of Advanced Wrought TiAl Alloys

X TNB-V21:

Al-lean
relatively high-Nb content
no grain refining coagulant

7:1 extrusion at Tα+∆T

+ 1030 °C, 2 hours,fc

tensile tests
sample axis parallel to
extrusion direction

X high-temperature strength
retention
 Creep Resistance and Structural Stability

• Intended service conditions

T=700-900 °C, σ=100-500 MPa, t=10 000 hours x ε<0.5%

Excellent creep resistance required

Failure mechanisms:

Diffusion assisted dislocation climb

degradation of microstructure

X Alloy design towards reduced diffusion

implementation of precipitation reactions
 Failure Mechanisms: Diffusion Assisted Dislocation Climb

0.2 µm

X Dislocation climb can be effectively retarded by solid solution and

precipitation hardening, without comprising ductility
TEM in-situ Heating of
Ti-48Al-2Cr (at.%):

Dislocation multiplication
by diffusion assisted
Bardeen-Herring climb
sources
 Diffusion Assisted Dislocation Multiplication
XCritical vacancy concentration to
operate a climb source
(Baluffi and Granato)

c µbΩ Lκ
ln ≥ ln
co L2 π (1− ν )kT 1.8b

T=820 K, L=150-350 b, κ=4

Xc/co=3-1.7

small supersaturation when compared

with those produced after rapid cooling
(c/co=103-104)

Bardeen Herring sources can operate

during annealing out excess vacancies