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Microstructure Evolution and Abrasive Wear Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

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This paper investigates the effect of quenching and aging treatment on microstructure and abrasive wear of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The as-received alloy was solution treated at 1339 K, then oil quenched, followed by aging at 823 K for 4 h (14,400 s). The microstructures of as-received and quench-aged specimens were characterized by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and electron backscattered diffraction techniques. The as-received specimen consisted of very fine α grains (average grain size 2 μm) with β phase uniformly dispersed throughout. The microstructure of the quench-aged specimen showed α plates (formed by the decomposition of α′ during aging). The β phase precipitated out of α′ martensite during aging and hence was dispersed uniformly in the α matrix. Ti-6Al-4V alloy was quench-aged to achieve maximum hardness with a view that the increased hardness would lead to an improvement in abrasive wear behavior. Two-body abrasive wear tests were carried out on the as-received and quench-aged specimens using pin-on-disk apparatus with SiC as abrasive media (150-grit size). The effect of sliding distance and normal load on the abrasive wear behavior was studied. The wear resistance of the as-received specimen was greater than that of quench-aged specimen, while hardness of the as-received specimen was lower than that of quench-aged specimen. The abrasive wear behavior of Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been explained based on morphology/microstructure of the alloy and the associated wear mechanism(s).

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Director, VNIT Nagpur for providing necessary facilities and constant encouragement to publish this paper. The authors would also like to acknowledge the use of National Facility of Texture & OIM (a DST-IRPHA facility) for EBSD measurements.

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  1. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), South Ambazari Road, Nagpur, Maharashtra, 440010, India

    Shreyash Hadke, Rajesh K. Khatirkar, Shreyans Jain & Sanjay G. Sapate

  2. Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400076, India

    Satish K. Shekhawat

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  1. Shreyash Hadke
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Correspondence to Rajesh K. Khatirkar.

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Hadke, S., Khatirkar, R.K., Shekhawat, S.K. et al. Microstructure Evolution and Abrasive Wear Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 24, 3969–3981 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-015-1667-y

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