Deformation and fracture of an alpha/beta titanium alloy

Titanium alloys are used in the aero-spatial, energy and biomaterial industries among others and exhibit high specific strength and fracture toughness. Their mechanical properties show a strong dependence on the microstructure, especially on the size and morphology of the constituent phases. An experimental evaluation was done to a better understanding of that influence using some techniques like as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), both low and high resolution (HR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coupled to electron back-scattering diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical microscopy (OM). Some in-situ TEM deformation studies were also done. The alloy was submitted to two heat treatment conditions to get different phases distribution. An hcp phase (alpha) in coexistence with a bcc phase (beta) was observed after both treatments as well the occurrence of twins, stacking faults and dislocations arrangements. The work then discusses the influence of these features on the overall alloy strength. (author)