Influence of Substitution of Fe by Mo on Heat Treatment Behavior in Ti-Mo-Fe Alloys

Abstract

In order to reduce the cost of β-type Ti alloys, the use of Fe as an alloying element has been studied. However, Fe is known to have a very high diffusion coefficient in β-Ti of about 2.6×10-12 m2/s at 1200 K, and its behavior during heat treatment is expected to be difficult to control. By contrast, Mo, which is also a β-stabilizing element, has a diffusion coefficient of only about 2.5×10-14 m2/s at 1200 K, i.e., roughly 100 times smaller than that of Fe1), 2). In this study, the effect of the partial substitution of Fe with Mo on the aging behavior of β-Ti alloys was investigated using X-ray diffraction, electric resistivity, and Vickers hardness measurements. Ti-Mo-Fe alloys were solution-treated by holding at 1173 K for 3.6 ks and then quenching in ice water. In the X-ray diffraction patterns for the resulting samples, only peaks associated with the β phase were identified. It was found that the electrical resistivity and Vickers hardness decreased with increasing Mo content. As the Mo-to-Fe ratio increased, the decrease in electrical resistivity and the increase in Vickers hardness occurred later during the isothermal aging process. This was due to a delay in isothermal ω-phase precipitation.