AFRC_CORE_06598_Sustainable Manufacturing of Titanium Alloy Components for Aerospace Applications

High-strength beta-titanium alloy, Ti-5553, is frequently used in aerospace applications such as landing gear components due to its excellent strength to density ratio and corrosion resistance. The traditional manufacture route of Ti-5553 parts for landing gear application consists of complex operations comprising sequential hot working and heat treatments to produce a bi-modal microstructure which is attributed with an excellent combination of strength, ductility, and fracture toughness. Understanding of the effect of processing routes and heat treatments on the mechanisms and kinetics of beta grains refinement is essential to achieve the desired microstructure and mechanical properties. Work Package 1 will focus on identifying the most effective thermo-mechanical processing route for beta grains refinement during ingot to billet conversion. Additive manufacturing route is also used by aerospace industry to manufacture some near-net shaped parts from dual phase Titanium alloys. Particularly, wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) which is also known as directed energy deposition-arc (DED-arc) technique is widely used. Due to both high-temperature gradients and high cooling rates which are induced in the depositing process, a basket weave microstructure having fine lamellar α and small α colony size in a β matrix is produced. Transformation of lamellar α into equiaxed α is critical for achieving the better combination of strength and ductility; and this is traditionally accomplished by applying mechanical load in the case of alloys from ingot metallurgy route. WP2 of this project will explore the possibility of using novel cyclic thermal treatment to globularise primary α phase in a Ti-6Al-4V alloy part manufactured by the WAAM . The temperature range for CTT is below β-transus and both furnace and induction-based approaches will be explored.

funding: £49,095.00