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| Influence mechanism of grain boundary α phase configuration on the strength and toughness of TC18 near-β titanium alloy |
| FAN Jingxian1, LIU Chaoqiang1, ZHAN Xiaodong2, YANG Xiuye1, GE Jinyang1,3 |
1. State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China;
2. Hunan Xiangtou Goldsky Titanium Industry Technology Co., Ltd, Changde 415001, China;
3. School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China |
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Abstract Near-β titanium alloys, owing to their outstanding strength and toughness, have become key structural materials in aerospace applications. However, achieving the synergistic coordination of strength, plasticity, and toughness remains a critical challenge. This study focuses on lamellar structured TC18 near-β titanium alloy. By employing two different processes, namely dual annealing and forging combined with dual annealing, alloys with distinct grain boundary α configurations (C-GB and D-GB) were prepared. The aim is to investigate the influence mechanism of grain boundary α configuration on the strength and toughness of the alloy. The results indicate that the content and size of primary α phase within the grains are similar in both C-GB and D-GB alloys. The main difference lies in the distribution of the grain boundary α phase, which is continuous in the C-GB alloy, while it exhibits a discontinuous distribution in the D-GB alloy. The grain boundary α configuration has a minor effect on the tensile strength of the alloy, the tensite strength of D-GB alloy (1 052.8 MPa) is approximately 6.7% higher than that of the C-GB alloy (986.3 MPa). However, it plays a decisive role in plasticity and fracture toughness. The elongation and fracture toughness of the D-GB alloy (12% and 91.5 MPa·m1/2) are significantly higher than those of the C-GB alloy (3% and 76.7 MPa·m1/2). In the C-GB alloy, the continuous grain boundary α phase acts as a preferential pathway for crack initiation and propagation. In contrast, in the D-GB alloy, the discontinuous grain boundary α phase and the randomly oriented α lamellae prevent local dislocation pile-up, leading to more uniform plastic deformation, then effectively inhibiting void nucleation and crack propagation. This study provides insights for designing titanium alloys with both high strength and high damage tolerance.
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Received: 21 January 2026
Published: 07 May 2026
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2026, Vol. 31 
