Alloy Design of Ti Alloys Using Ubiquitous Alloying Elements and Characteristics of Their Levitation-Melted Alloys
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Materials Transactions, Vol. 51, No. 4 (2010) pp. 740 to 748 #2010 Japan Foundry Engineering Society Alloy Design of Ti Alloys Using Ubiquitous Alloying Elements and Characteristics of Their Levitation-Melted Alloys Kazuhiro Matsugi, Takuro Endo, Yong-Bum Choi and Gen Sasaki Department of Mechanical Materials Engineering, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8527, Japan The + type Ti-5.5Al-2Fe and type Ti-2.5Fe-2Mn-2Zr alloys have been theoretically designed, for the modification of Ti-6Al-4V and the achievement of the high tensile strength more than 1000 MPa at the solution treatment state, respectively, using ubiquitous alloying elements in order to establish the strategic method for suppressing utilization of rare metals. The utilization of the cold crucible levitation melting (CCLM) is very useful for the production of ingots, because titanium is very chemically reactive at high temperature. The experimental alloys with high purity and without contaminations from a crucible were prepared, and the homogeneous melt was also achieved by the diffusion mixing effect of CCLM. The microstructure, phase stability, strength, corrosion-resistance and workable properties of the design Ti-5.5Al-2Fe alloy, were comparable to those of Ti-6Al-4V. In contrast, the solution heat treated Ti-2.5Fe-2Mn-2Zr alloy showed the tensile strength of 1200 MPa, and the 1.3 times increase in the specific strength compared with Ti-15Mo-5Zr-3Al. The alloy design can be successfully carried out even using ubiquitous alloying elements by the d-electrons concept, which leads to the establishment of one method for the strategic utilization of rare metals. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.F-M2010801] (Received March 26, 2009; Accepted January 8, 2010; Published March 3, 2010) Keywords: rare metals, ubiquitous alloying elements, alloy design, d-electrons concept, titanium alloys, environmentally friendly materials 1. Introduction the contaminating behavior of ordinary materials (oxides, borides, silisides, sulfides, nitrides, fluorides, Mo3Al and W) Recently, a variety of new titanium alloys for aerospace, could never be totally stopped. It has been reported that Y2O3 chemical, biomedical and welfare applications1–3) have been stabilized with 8 to 15 mass% of Ti has the excellent developed over the world. The principally -stabilizing performance in suppression for reaction between molten elements in titanium alloys are rare ones due to their low titanium and crucibles, although these crucibles are very 19) abundances in the earth’s crust. In contrast, titanium is con- expensive. In contrast, interaction between ZrO2-, Al2O3- sidered to be a ubiquitous element since it has the tenth or SiC-crucibles and molten titanium was investigated and highest Clarke number of all the elements, but it is classified discussed in the point of thermodynamic calculation.15) as a rare metal because its refinement process is more Moreover, utilization of crucibles made of CaO is useful environmentally damaging than the processes used to refine for melting Ti and its alloys, because of their refining effects iron and aluminum. It is important for the strategy of titanium such as de-oxidation, de-sulfurization and de-nitrification.20) alloys that high performance alloys are developed using CaO crucibles are very expensive and the handling is difficult ubiquitous elements such as iron, aluminum and interstitial due to their hydration. Vacuum induction and arc skull ones, etc.4–6) However, in most cases methods for the devel- melting processes both are used to prevent the molten metal opment are largely dependent on the trial-and-error experi- contamination. These processes possessed, however, very ments and some empirical rules. Therefore, the development low energy efficiency and great difficulty in obtaining is so inefficient and also expensive. In order to save cost and sufficient superheats generally needed for a better molten time necessary for alloy development, more fundamental metal homogenization.21) approaches based on the solid theory are needed. Therefore, Titanium and its alloying elements are difficult to be the d-electrons concept proposed by Morinaga7) is applied combined uniformly in composition as a solid alloy using to design of titanium alloys using ubiquitous metallic usual furnaces like arc or induction melting furnaces, because elements, in order to establish the strategic method for molten Ti is very chemically reactive at high temperature. suppressing utilization of rare metals. The high performance To resolve these problems, utilization of the cold crucible metallic materials such as Ni, Ti, Al, Mg and Fe-based alloys, levitation melting (CCLM) is very useful. CCLM in a high etc8–13) had been developed by the d-electrons concept. frequency induction furnace has both upper and lower The properties of titanium alloys depend greatly on the electric coils which were utilized for heating and levitation exact chemical composition, processing history and small- of molten metals as a major function, respectively.22–24) The ness of undesirably dissolved elements including contami- molten metal is levitated by the eddy current in the melting nants such as oxygen and carbon.14) The penetration of crucible which is water cooled. The alloys can be melted contaminants occurs basically during production and proc- under untouched condition between melt and melting essing of alloys.15) Commercial production process usually crucible, which leads to no contaminant from melting involves induction melting of alloys under heavy vacuum. A crucible. Moreover, titanium alloys with uniform composi- major source of contaminants is refractory melting crucibles, tion can be produced independently from the difference in which needs to be carefully chosen. Numerous investiga- specific gravity or melting point between titanium and its tors16–18) have tried to solve above problems, but they have alloying elements, by the diffusion mixing effect of strong generally not been able to obtain a satisfying result, because stirring due to an electromagnetic force. Alloy Design of Ti Alloys Using Ubiquitous Alloying Elements and Characteristics of Their Levitation-Melted Alloys 741 Copper melting crucible K Atmosphere controlling Melting Cooling Segment Slit T/ (a) 300 Solidification Cooling water 2050~2150 melting crucib 2000~2100 200 Current in le Temperature , /kW (b) W Levitation of melt 85-90kW 80 Upper electric current Upper electric coil for heating 38-40kW Repulsion 35 Upper coil Lower coil Electric power, 5 ctric coil 1x10 (c) 9x104 Pa on RP 9% Lower electric current Lower ele p/Pa 1x10 DP for levitati Hole for pouring melt Ar with 99.9 3x10-3 Eddy current Pressure, Time, t/s Fig. 2 Profile of (a) temperature in molten metal, (b) electric power in upper and lower coils and (c) pressure in atmosphere of the levitation Fig. 1 Schematic illustration of principle of levitation melting, and the melting process. Abscissaand ordinate are represented with arbitrary melting crucible for the melting of alloys and solidification of melts after scales. switching off electric power. The d-electrons concept was applied to design of titanium gradient along the length (17 mm) of samples for the alloys using ubiquitous metallic elements, in order to measurement of specific resisitivity was about 5 K. Density establish the strategic method for suppressing utilization measurement using a high density liquid was performed by of rare metals. Some properties were investigated for the Archimedes’ method. design alloys produced by the CCLM technique. Tensile tests were conducted on the sheet-shaped specimen with gauge lengths of 2 Â 4 Â 28 mm, at room temperature 2. Experimental Procedures under an initial strain rate of 2:0 Â 10À4 sÀ1 in air. Both immersion tests for the evaluation of hot corrosion resistance All ingots of design alloys in this study were prepared from were conducted on the specimens with 1:5 Â 5 Â 10 mm at raw materials of pure Ti, Fe, Al, V, Zr, Mo or Fe-20.8Mn 573 and 923 K using the molten salts of NaNO3-6.6 mol%- alloy with 99.7, 99.9, 99.9, 99.7, 99.6, 99.0 or 99.0 mass%, NaCl and Na2SO4-45 mol%NaCl, respectively. Rockwell respectively, by CCLM under the atmosphere of argon gas hardness number on the C scale was measured at room with purity of 99.99%. The principle of levitation melting is temperature. illustrated in Fig. 1. Each element was inserted in the copper Charpy impact tests were conducted at 293 and 623 K with melting crucible with 150 cm3 consisting of 24 segments. an impact speed of 2.57 m/s in air using an instrumented The alloys can be melted under untouched condition between Charpy impact testing machine of 49 J capacity, where a melt and melting crucible, which leads to no contaminant swing angle of the pendulum of 90 degree was selected for from the melting crucible. Figure 2 shows profiles of tests under the low blow condition. The Charpy impact temperature in molten metal, electric power in upper and value was obtained from the difference in initial and final lower coils and pressure in atmosphere of a furnace-chamber. heights of the swinging pendulum. Dynamic maximum load The temperature was directly measured by insertion of was determined from the recorded load-deflection curves thermocouples in molten metals. The higher temperatures of using a computer device in the instrumented Charpy impact 2050–2150 and 2000–2100 K depending on the melting point machine system.25) An imapct specimen with a width of of alloying elements, were kept for 300 and 200 s in melting 10.0 mm, thickness of 2.7 mm and length of 50.0 mm was cut process, for complete melting of raw materials and enough from the fixed position in ingots by EDM. The notch in the mixing of molten metals, respectively. Molten metals were specimen showed a slot of 0.2 mm radius and 2 mm depth. solidified in the copper melting crucible after switching off electric power after the melting process.