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Effect of Copper Content on Grain Structure Evolution in Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

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Electron beam additive manufacturing with simultaneous feeding of two dissimilar metal wires was used to obtain Ti-6Al-4V specimens successively alloyed with 0.6, 1.6, 6.0 and 9.7 wt % Cu. The specimens were characterized for microstructure, phases, and mechanical properties. Increasing the copper content in the alloy from 0.6 to 9.7 wt % resulted in the refinement of primary β-Ti grains and the columnar-to-equiaxed grain transformation owing to the effect of constitutional undercooling on grain nucleation and growth. The grain growth restriction factor was calculated to substantiate the microstructural evolution from columnar to equiaxed grains. Admixing with up to 6.0 wt % Cu resulted in the formation of ultrathin α-Ti platelets, while increasing the copper content to 9.7 wt % Cu led not only to further thinning of α-Ti platelets but also to the formation of refined α′-Ti and α″-Ti phases. Intermetallic Ti2Cu particles were precipitated due to the β → Ti2Cu + α eutectoid decomposition of primary β-Ti grains and then plausibly induced heterogeneous nucleation of α-Ti platelets. A combined effect of solid solution hardening, precipitation hardening, and grain boundary hardening was achieved and allowed increasing the microhardness, ultimate tensile stress, tensile yield stress, and compression yield stress of Ti-6Al-4V/Сu specimens.

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Funding

The work was carried out within the Government Statement of Work for ISPMS SB RAS, research line FWRW-2021-0012. The EBSD maps were studied within the RF President grant for state support of leading scientific schools NSh-1174.2022.4. The studies were carried out using the equipment of the Nanotech CUC (ISPMS SB RAS, Tomsk).

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  1. Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 634055, Tomsk, Russia

    A. P. Zykova, A. V. Nikolaeva, A. V. Vorontsov, A. V. Chumaevskii, S. Yu. Nikonov, E. N. Moskvichev, D. A. Gurianov, N. L. Savchenko, E. A. Kolubaev & S. Yu. Tarasov

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  1. A. P. Zykova
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  2. A. V. Nikolaeva
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  3. A. V. Vorontsov
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  4. A. V. Chumaevskii
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Correspondence to A. P. Zykova.

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Translated from Fizicheskaya Mezomekhanika, 2022, Vol. 25, No. 6, pp. 5–25.

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Zykova, A.P., Nikolaeva, A.V., Vorontsov, A.V. et al. Effect of Copper Content on Grain Structure Evolution in Additively Manufactured Ti-6Al-4V Alloy. Phys Mesomech 26, 107–125 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1029959923020017

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