Selection of α variants during microstructural evolution in α/β titanium alloys

Abstract

The solid-state β→β + α transformation in titanium alloys leads to complex microstructures with feature spanning across a range of length scales. In order to develop a better understanding of the microstructural evolution process, a detailed characterization of the crystallography of α laths formed from the β phase in a candidate α/β Ti alloy, Timetal 550, has been carried out. Specifically, the influence of the orientation relationship (OR) between the grain boundary α (GB α) and the adjacent β grains on the microstructural evolution has been investigated in this alloy employing orientation imaging microscopy (OIM) studies in a high-resolution SEM. The results indicate that the colony microstructure (clustering of α laths belonging to the same variant) tends to develop in the β grain that exhibits the Burgers OR with the GB α allotriomorph, whereas the basketweave microstructure (clustering of multiple variants) develops in the adjacent β grain. Additionally, the multiple variants of α laths forming the basketweave microstructure appear to be related by certain selection criteria.