Mechanisms of fatigue strength variation of refractory titanium alloy components as a result of irradiation by intense pulsed electron beams

This paper reviews researches dedicated by the application of intense pulsed electron beams for surface treatment of refractory titanium alloy parts. The high-energy density (w=1-50 J cm-2) of these short-pulsed (τ=1-40 μs) beams (with diameter d=3-10 cm, and energies E=120-150 keV) makes them the ideal in flash heating a target surface. The surface irradiation induces rapid melt and solidification at up to 108 K s-1 causing defect layer formation, the producing non-equilibrium microstructures and surface smoothing. The intense pulsed electron beams can be used for improvement of fatigue properties of compressor blades and disks produced of titanium alloys. (authors)