Effects of Fe, Co and Ni elements on the ductility of TiAl alloy

Highlights: • Effect of Fe/Co/Ni on the ductility of TiAl was studied by theory and experiments. • Ni exists in the form of NiTi, which is detrimental to the ductility of TiAl. • Fe Co change electronic and elastic properties to improve ductility of TiAl. - Abstract: The Ni atom is difficult to occupy the Ti or Al site in TiAl, it exists in the form of NiTi phase at the grain boundary of TiAl alloy, which is detrimental to the ductility of the TiAl alloy. The Fe and Co atoms preferentially occupy the Al sites and can improve the electronic structures and elastic properties of TiAl, leading to the improvement of the ductility of TiAl alloy. With the addition of 3 at.% Fe and Co, the tested average fracture strain of TiAl alloy increases from 17.3% to 19.1% and 18.0%, respectively