The Benefits of Titanium

High strength-to-weight ratio

Good mechanical properties to ~550°C

Corrosion resistant

Unitized manufacturing techniques (SPF/DB)

- F-15E dual role fighter
Representative Material Usage in a Modern
Turbine Engine
Processing Steps in the Formation of Titanium
Sponge (Hunter Process)
• Natural mineral form is titanium dioxide
• Chemically converted to titanium tetrachloride
• Reacted with magnesium or sodium to produce titanium

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Properties and Typical Applications of
Selected Wrought Titanium Alloys

Format: Titanium alloyed with 6% Aluminum, 4% Vanadium ==> Ti-6Al-4V

Serope Kalpakjian. Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, 3rd Edition. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. 1995
Selected Properties of Titanium as Compared
to Aluminum, Iron and Magnesium
Mg
1.77
6.5
*

Strength (ksi) 150 60 220 35

Specific Properties:
Titanium Aluminum Iron Mg
E/p (inx106) 102 92 100 102
Ftu/p (inx103) 915 615 775 550

* Titanium has a very high melting point

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
? -Stabilized Systems

Phase Diagram for the

Titanium Aluminum BCC
System

Almost all Ti contains aluminum

•ductility
•reduced density

Many slip systems in ? -titanium

•high ductility
•room temperature cold-rolling to
>90% reduction in thickness

HCP
William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of
Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.
1981
 ? -Stabilized Systems (Isomorphous)
Phase Diagram for the Titanium-Vanadium System

Alloying elements
miscible in ?
phase,
decomposition of
? phase to ? plus
other does not
occur

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 ? -Stabilized Systems (Isomorphous)
Phase Diagram for the Titanium-Molybdenum System

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 ? -Stabilized Systems (eutectoid)

Slow cooling allows ? phase to

transform to ? plus others

The most important alloying

elements of this system are
chromium, iron and silicon

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 ? -Stabilized Systems (eutectoid)
Phase Diagram for the Titanium-Chromium System

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 ? -Stabilized Systems -- Other Alloys
Phase Diagram for the Titanium-Zirconium System

Zirconium
and Tin
contribute to
solid solution
strengthening

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Classification of Titanium Alloys

? : primarily ? phase
near-? : ? phase with small amounts of ? stabilizing elements
? ? ? : mixtures of ? and ? phases
? : ? stabilized at room temperature after cooling from solution heat treatment
William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Chemical Compositions and Typical
Applications of Unalloyed Titanium

Iron is a ? stabilizer
Low levels of N good for interstitial strengthening
Oxygen content determines strength
Hydrogen is always bad (causes embrittlement)
“Pure” titanium is lower strength, but more corrosion resistant and less expensive
William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Unalloyed Titanium Microstructure -- ?
Grains with Small Spheroidal ? Particles

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
Effect of Oxygen, Nitrogen and Carbon Additions on
Mechanical Properties of Iodide Titanium

Tensile strength is governed by oxygen and nitrogen (somewhat by carbon)

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Mechanical Properties of Commercially Pure
Titanium and Low Alloyed Titanium

Interstitial elements improve strength, but are detrimental to toughness

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Chemical Compositions and typical
Applications of ? Titanium Alloys

(Ti-5Al-2.5Sn)

Al: Solid solution strengthening, reduced density

Sn: Solid solution strengthening
* Oxygen strengthens Ti, but also reduces ductility, this specialty material
retains low temperature ductility
William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Microstructure of Ti-5Al-2.5Sn
HCP ? phase with small ? particles

Note: Al in excess of 5-6% would

allow formation of brittle Ti3 Al ? 2
phase

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
Mechanical Properties of ? Titanium Alloys

8 ksi tensile strength reduction due to less oxygen

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Chemical Composition and Typical
Applications of Near-? Titanium Alloys

High modulus, susceptible to stress corrosion cracking

in salt environment

Mo and V are b stabilizers, which allow some retention of b at room temperature

b stabilizing elements are often politically active (available in small quantities from troubled nations)
William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Microstructure of Near ? Titanium Alloys
(? Particles in an ? matrix)

Normally not heat treated, but annealed

Mill Anneal: 790C for 8hr., furnace cooled
Duplex Anneal: reheated to 790C for 15 minutes, air cooled
(produces a more disorderd a phase with improved ductility and impact resistance)
William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Mechanical Properties of Near ? Titanium Alloys

Moderately high strength, with good ductility

Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V could be solution heat treated and aged to improve strength 25%
(but this makes it susceptible to stress corrosion cracking in salt environment)

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
Cooling From Above the ? Transus (~1066F)
Water quench from all ?
phase to all ? ’ (titanium
martensite)
Ftu ~160 ksi

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Strengthening by Grain Refinement with BCC to
HCP Transformation and Increased Dislocation
Density

Soft compared to
Martensite in steel

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
Aging or Tempering Titanium Martensites Increases
Strength by Allowing ? Phase Precipitates

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Air Cool From 1066C

? transformed from ?
by nucleation and
growth (fine ? )

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Chemical Composition and Typical
Applications of ? ? ? Titanium Alloys

• ? ? ? Alloys:
Welded, forged or machined
Low hardenability (~1” depth)
retention of
significant ? phase at
room temperature
• ? ? ? alloys can be
Higher strength solution heat treated
and aged

High strength at temperature

More hardenable

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Thermal Treatments to Ti-6AL-4V

Microstructure of ? ? ? titanium
depends on chemical composition,
processing, thermal treatment

Very complex microstructure

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Furnace Cooling From 1066C

Structure approaches equilibrium

- coarse ? formed from
nucleation and growth

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Cooling From Below the ? Transus

Water quenching from 954C

- primary ? coexists with ? , and on rapid cooling ? transfoms to ? ’ martensite
- ? embedded in ? ’
William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Air Cooling From 954C

Primary ? in matrix of
transformed ?

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Furnace Cooling From 954C (Near
Equilibrium)

? and intergranular ?

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Cooling From Just Above Martensitic
Temperature (843C)

Water quenched:
- less ? present than at higher temperature, but stabilized so ? retained
(thus ? and retained ? )
William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
 Mechanical Properties of ? ? ? Titanium Alloys

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
Design, Mechanical and Physical Properties
of Ti-6Al-4V Sheet, Strip and Plate

MIL-HDBK-5F Table 5.4.1.0(b)

Effect of Temperature on Mechanical
Properties of Ti-6AL-4V

MIL-HDBK-5E Figure 5.4.1.1.1.1 (Ti-6Al-4V)

MIL-HDBK-5E Figure 2.3.1.1.1 (low alloy steel)

MIL-HDBK-5E Figure 5.4.1.1.6(b) (Ti-6Al-4V)

MIL-HDBK-5E Figure 5.4.1.1.6(c) (Ti-6Al-4V)

Fatigue Crack Propagation Data for Ti-6Al-
4V Plate

MIL-HDBK-5E Figure 5.4.1.1.9

 Chemical Compositions and Typical
Applications of ? Titanium Alloys
Sufficient ? stabilizers (vanadium, molybdenum, chromium, iron)
allow metastable ? at room temperature

• ? titanium is BCC, thus readily cold-worked

• higher density due to high % heavy metals
• low ductility and fatigue performance for high strength alloys
• non-uniform microstructure in thick sections
William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981
Mechanical Properties of ? Titanium Alloys

Highest strength titanium alloys

William F. Smith. Structure and Properties of Engineering Alloys. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1981